Eternity Breaks II: The Sequel
by NachtMusik
Summary: COMPLETE! This story is the sequel to Eternity Breaks, a story that takes the Sailor Senshi Mercury, this time including Sailor Moon and Hitomi to face down the ever annoying (and evil) Ultra Bob!
1. It Starts All Over Again!

ETERNITY BREAKS II  
  
AN: Wow, I can't believe I actually decided to do a sequel! I will say this, for those who wished and hoped I would take their advice and change the story around, I don't think I can or will. I don't usually take requests and as a part of the first chapter of the new story I say we'll see. I'm not making promises. Anyway, let's go!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or Escaflowne, that's how you can tell you actually like the shows!  
  
***  
  
Chapter One: It Starts All Over Again!  
  
  
Hitomi Kanzaki had been visiting much of the Sailor Senshi in the shrine. The girls, except for Usagi and Ami, felt that Hitomi was beginning to burden them. Since Usagi would argue the point and probably lose, the girls decided it best just to let it go. After all, an argument with Usagi usually led up to something a little worse than just yelling.  
  
Luna didn't mind the visits at all, she knew Hitomi would never tell the secret of the Sailor Senshi, and only Ami, Luna, Chibi Usa, and Setsuna knew that Hitomi knew. One does wonder how many problems this will cause in the near future, but for the moment it didn't matter.   
  
One fine day, Hitomi didn't bother to show up at the shrine. Rei felt relieved for a change of pace along with Makoto and Minako. Rei didn't know why, but something about Hitomi made her uneasy and Makoto instantly decided she didn't like Hitomi when she commented that Mako's food wasn't as great as what she had at Ami's home the few times she was there. Minako and Hitomi disagreed on guys about 1000 times before decided they didn't want to be in reach of one another.  
  
However, when Ami, Usagi, and Luna didn't go to the shrine that afternoon for their usual study session.   
  
"This is very unlike Ami in the least not to come to a study session." Artimis stated.  
  
"Really? We hadn't noticed!" Rei was irritable as usual, she had called several times at Ami's but no one answered. She finally called Usagi's thinking they would be there, instead Ikuko answered the phone.  
  
"Oh," Ikuko said, "Usagi and Ami went over to another friend's house to study for their test on Monday. I'm surprised she didn't tell you."   
  
Rei listened, Usagi forgetting to tell them wasn't much of a surprise at all. After she hung up, the phone rang.  
  
"Yeah what?!" Rei yelled into the phone.  
  
"Ah! Rei, don't yell!." Ami yelled back.  
  
"Ami-chan, where the heck are you?!"   
  
"We meant to call you earlier, but I'm at Hitomi's house. Usagi said she'd call you to tell you where we were before it got this late. You can guess what happened afterward." Ami finished with an unusual flat tone.  
  
"Uh huh . . . Thanks for the news." Rei replied. She heard lots of noise in the background. "What's all that?!" Rei yelled again.  
  
"Uh, we're playing a game." Ami said, recovering from Rei's loud voice.  
  
"A game? What kind of game and why are you playing a game?" Rei demanded.  
  
"Well, we finished our homework and we decided to play a video game." Rei listened to every word.  
  
"I see."  
  
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, we're playing Smash Bros. Melee and my character's getting killed, so I'll talk to you later!" Ami hastily hung up the phone.  
  
"So. . ." Makoto was about to say something but didn't bother to.  
  
"They're at Hitomi's house playing a video game because they finished their homework." Rei said bluntly.  
  
"Oh, what game?"  
  
"Super Smash Bros. Melee."  
  
"I love that game!" Minako cried.  
  
"It's at Hitomi's house." Rei said.  
  
"I don't really care about that game anymore!" Minako shouted in the same tone as before.  
  
Rei paused for a moment to consider something. "Well, I suppose we weren't really being fair to Hitomi, after all we DID ask her for her honest opinion when we decided we didn't like her."  
  
"I suppose so, but there's something about her that gives me the creeps." Makoto said.  
  
"Ok, now we have a good reason to keep our distance from her, right?" Minako asked. Rei and Makoto agreed, although it was a pathetic reason.   
  
  
"Hoo ha! Take that Zelda!" Usagi said, trying to kill off Ami's character as Pichu.  
  
"Infectious rodent! Thou shalt pay!" And so, Ami sent Zelda to do what I like to call the high heal kick of doom. Pichu went smashing through the atmosphere.  
  
"Player Three Defeated!" The annoying voice rang, and it was just Hitomi and Ami. Hitomi sent Ness over to do her bidding!  
  
(AN: I know what you're thinking, why the hell did she pick those characters? Just go with it, SSBM won't be on that long.)  
  
About five more minutes of kicking, punching, and smashing through the stratosphere, it was game over and Ami was victorious.   
  
"Well, I'm tired of playing." Hitomi said.  
  
"Are you sure? How about one more round?" Usagi asked enthusiastically.  
  
"No, we've played about 100 rounds already and at 50 lives each character it's old." Hitomi went into the kitchen to put some of the dishes in the sink from their earlier meal.  
  
"I don't know why the others don't like you, you're a nice person." Usagi commented.  
  
"Thanks." Hitomi rinsed the grime on the dishes off and put them in the dishwasher.  
  
"Well, thanks for everything Hitomi." Ami said, heading for the door.  
  
"No problem."  
  
"Yeah, I mean, I actually got work done today." Usagi said, heading out with Ami. "See ya later."  
  
Hitomi went back into the living room. On the coffee table was a text book that read "Physical Science."  
  
"Oh, Usagi left her book. Now I have to go catch up to them." Hitomi tucked the book under her left arm and thought about what she said. "Oh, like that's going to be hard!" She commented sarcastically and ran out of the house. Just as you assumed, Hitomi caught up with them in no time.  
  
"Thank you." Usagi said.  
  
As they were about to part ways, Hitomi felt something in the air. She didn't know what it was, but that something felt very discomforting. Luna rushed to them where she had been resting for the day.  
  
"Minna, henshin yo!" (Famous line, it means everyone transform.)  
  
Just as Luna said that a bright red light appeared. It glowed brightly and dimmed as a surge of energy hit. The light then flickered away, and standing in its place was a huge beast about 11, maybe, 12 feet tall. It's coat was midnight black with star like patches of white on it. It had a long muzzle, and had facial features of a wolf. It had long arms that were very muscular, and it's claws where enormous. Much larger than its head. It stood, hunched over a bit with glowing red eyes on it's huge legs. The tail twitched back and forth ever so slightly. It was adorned with spikes at the end of it. The beast straightened itself.  
  
"Not even death could keep me from my revenge!" It growled under its breath. Usagi was paralyzed with fear, as was Hitomi. Ami blinked. Of course she was surprised too, but she knew this creature, and frankly was unimpressed by it's newly built form.  
  
"Usagi," Luna whispered. "Now would be a good time to transform." Usagi woke up from the initial shock.  
  
"Moon Eternal, Make up!" (Translation, Moon Eternal Make Up, for those of you who are just reading this for the Escaflowne experience.) In a flash of a second that seems to take longer, Usagi became the infamous Sailor Moon. Ami followed up.  
  
"Ok, Bob. Stop scarring Hitomi and we might let you go with a warning." Sailor Mercury warned.  
  
"That's Bob?" Hitomi was confused, she took another look at the beast. "Oh, that's Bob."  
  
"No, you fools!" It growled. "I am not just Bob, I am Ultra Bob!"   
  
"Ultra Bob?" The four said in unison.  
  
"I was just your mere Bob months ago when you destroyed me and my master. I have envoked the dark lord so that I may come back here and take my revenge."  
  
"Oh fuzzy."  
  
"This day, you shall die!" Ultra Bob created a force of energy and threw it at Hitomi. Sailor Mercury froze it in place. Unfortunately the ice wasn't strong enough to contain it. The ice shattered, several pieces broke off in all directions, one large piece grazing Hitomi's cheek.  
  
"How dare you?!" By the tone of Bob's voice it was clear that he was no longer a harmless idiot. He was now a dangerous idiot.  
  
"How dare she not?" Sailor Moon yelled at it. "I don't know who you are, but in the name of the moon I shall punish you."  
  
"That's not how the speech goes." Luna whispered.  
  
"I know," Usagi whispered back, "but I needed to chop it down."  
  
"I believe you as much as I would believe that new deal at McDonalds where you could get a second burger for a penny." Ultra Bob charged for the blond heroine. Usagi dodged.  
  
"Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!" A flurry of feathers and a blinding light caught Ultra Bob by surprise. Usagi hoped it would stop him once and for all, but after it faded away, all that happened was Bob covered his eyes as if he had just seen the scary part of the movie and didn't want to see anymore.  
  
He took his hands away. "Cheap trick, Sailor Moon." Ultra Bob looked about. Mercury was seeing if Hitomi had received a serious injury from the failed attack. He had reached his final decision. Sailor Moon stood her ground, waiting for him to make his move. He did. Ultra Bob had Hitomi and Mercury by their throats in a flash.   
  
"Let them go!" A slightly bewildered Sailor Moon commanded. Ultra Bob ignored her.  
  
"These two caused me enough trouble as it is. Thou shalt pay!" Ultra Bob started squeezing the life out of them. Both struggled to breath, or cry out, but to no avail. Bob held tight. He was doing more than just cutting off their air, he was draining their power. Usagi felt helpless. Her most powerful attack didn't work. She then felt angry because she wasn't doing anything to prevent her friends' death. It was like she was living an episode of Dragon Ball Z. You know, where they stand around all powerful and stuff and feel they can't do anything to help anyone. Usagi ran up and attacked Bob by thwacking him on the head really, really hard with her Tier.   
  
Although seemingly pathetic, it did something. Bob dropped Hitomi and Mercury to the ground and clutched his throbbing head. Usagi than ran head first into his side, ramming him aside from her friends. As powerful as Ultra Bob appeared, he was vulnerable to physical attacks.  
  
"You will not kill them!" Usagi said sternly to the fallen Ultra Bob between pants.  
  
Bob got up. He smiled down at her. The kind of cold smile that inflicts a kind of emotional pain and woe. Usagi felt her heart freeze. Luna froze in place. "You should know very well this won't be the last time you see me. I will be back. If I do not capture Mercury I will have the other girl's power within me and then I will be complete." He disappeared in a flash of red light.   
  
Usagi shrank down onto her knees. That single smile seemed to cut through her like a hot knife through butter. She was paralyzed with fear. Luna noticed and went over to comfort her friend.  
  
"Usagi-chan," Luna whispered sweetly and understandingly, "we need to call an ambulance." Usagi nodded. Luna waited by the two fallen girls, Usagi detransformed and brought Mercury back to Ami. Moments later sirens were heard racing down the street.  
  
***  
  
Well, that was a weird first chapter. I know, Ultra Bob is such a strange name. Keep in mind it's the Bob we all know and love from the first story. I am working hard in school at this current time and therefore a second chapter will come along slowly. It is the final quarter and I have about 19 days of school left. I cannot fail! Thanks for reading ^-^  
  
STC  
sanjinoyousei@hotmail.com 


	2. I Didn't Do It!

ETERNITY BREAKS II  
  
AN: Here's chapter TWO! Hoo ha! Because of some other stuff going on and my laziness it took a while to get this out. Well, Rona, Myst-Lady and Lynne-chan here's more strange stuff in MS Word!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own SM or Esca-chan! Hoo ha!  
  
***  
  
Chapter Two: I Didn't Do It!  
  
  
Usagi found out how much she hated hospitals on this trip. Although her friends were reported to be in stable condition, Usagi got lost trying to find a place in the hospital called "1st East." She had to ask someone, as it turned out it was right around the corner. There was a sign on that corner that said "Radiology."   
  
"So, First East is right down he hall there miss. That nurses station there will assist you." A young doctor pointed down the long hall.  
  
"Uhh, thanks." Usagi and the doctor parted ways. "By the way," he turned back to listen, "what does radiology mean?"   
  
"It means X-ray."   
  
"Oh, thanks!" Usagi laughed nervously. Mainly for not knowing that radiology was something she knew all along. She continued walking down. While the emergency staff was taking care of Ami and Hitomi, they had Usagi wait in a room until they were sure they were safe. That was an hour or so ago. Usagi lost count of the time in the waiting room, she was staring out the window into the darkness until a nurse came in a told her to go to 1st East. First East, as Usagi learned, as a cancer unit, but the hospital was full and no place to put them. Usagi waited in their room until they would awake.   
  
For safety reasons Usagi wanted them to remain anonymous. When the nurses asked why Usagi simply said they were attacked by personal enemies. Which in one case they were. The whole point of that, however, was so their parents wouldn't be contacted right away, as Luna advised. She sighed in her chair, just sitting between the two beds. It was late now, about midnight. The room was dark and the curtains furled to let the city lights in. The city sparkled like a diamond with all the lights. Usagi caught her reflection in the window momentarily, recalling the fight hours earlier. Usagi settled back down. She couldn't go home yet she had to see them wake up and then tell them how much she screwed up by getting them secret protection. Their reaction would be just as fun as seeing Chaos Galaxia for the second time. She was going to have to think of a REALLY good reason for it and then find a way to escape the hospital.  
  
  
It was about three in the morning when Hitomi came to. Throughout her sleep she had disturbing images of the future and what Ultra Bob would to them. There was also another very disturbing part of her dream. There were no images but a very, very annoying sound.  
  
"Am I awake?" Hitomi pinched herself to confirm it. She jumped, not from the pain but from the surprise of knowing that she was awake and that awful sound was still there. She glanced over at Usagi. "Oh, she's snoring. . ." She looked over to her right, Ami was asleep in the bed next to the window. Usagi was snoring and sleeping in a chair across the room.  
  
Hitomi had difficulty getting out of bed with an I.V. in her arm. She had to drag the whole stand with the I.V. bag over to Usagi in order to wake her up. She had a most difficult time doing that without trying to alert the attention of the nightshift-nurses.   
  
"Usagi!" Hitomi whispered. No response. "Usagi!" She whispered a bit more harshly tapping on her shoulder. Usagi stirred a little, but still no real response.  
  
Hitomi thought for a moment. What would be the best way to wake up someone who slept like a rock? Then it came to her. Of course! It was so simple! She would startle her awake and this was how to do it!  
  
"Usagi wake up! You're late for school!" Hitomi hissed in her ear. As was predicted, Usagi jumped out of her seat, wide awake.  
  
"Huh?! What?!?" After a second or so of total shock Usagi came back to her senses. "Oh, Hitomi you're awake." Usagi whispered.  
  
"Yes, but Ami's still asleep." Hitomi informed Usagi so they would keep quiet.  
  
"Oh yeah. Maybe we should wake her up, I have something important to tell you both."  
  
"Right now?" Hitomi asked.  
  
"Yes." And so, Usagi proceeded to wake Ami. If Ami is like most people, waking her up would be a big mistake! Anyway, with a couple of taps on her shoulder and a nice morning shower, courtesy of a cup of water sitting on the nightstand, Ami was fully awake and very displeased.  
  
"Great, you're awake!" Usagi exclaimed quietly. "I have something important to tell you. Luna and I made sure the hospital put you both in anonymous protection because of what happened earlier. She thinks we need to face down this thing once and for all so we couldn't have your parents coming by. Now we have to escape the hospital because Luna said Pluto would be waiting for us to take us all to some strange world called Gaea! Whatever that is." She finished her explanation quickly.   
  
"Where is Pluto waiting for us?" Ami asked calmly.  
  
"In the park. We have to move quickly." Usagi got up and walked over to a little cabinet. She took two plastic bags and threw them on Hitomi's bed. She dug in them and came up with Hitomi's school uniform, socks, and shoes and threw them in Hitomi's direction. Likewise with Ami. In a matter of minutes they were able to strip themselves of the I.V. bandage the mark left behind by the needle and dress. They opened the window and climbed out. If the area of the hospital such as 1st East has any significance at all in this chapter it is that 1st East is on the 1st floor. After they were clear of the room they hastily made their way through the parking lot and off hospital grounds.  
  
  
The three girls were approaching on dawn as they made their way to the park. Luna joined them at the bus terminal and walked with them to the park. Sailor Pluto was waiting for them, as expected, but in an area so discret that they had a hard time finding her.  
  
"Well, this was poorly planed." Hitomi said. Ami only nodded in response. Usagi tripped over a root lying in her way and nearly fell on Luna, who was leading the group.  
  
"Glad you could make it." Sailor Pluto said.  
  
"Oh yeah, Gaea is the vacation spot of the year!" Hitomi said sarcastically.  
  
"Don't push me, Kanzaki." Pluto warned. "Anyway, maybe Hitomi should do the honors in taking you to Gaea. I'm just going along for the ride."  
  
"What?! Wait, I don't really know how." Hitomi protested.  
  
"You do to, even Folken knew you could get that stupid column of light to follow you around wherever you go! That's why you always had your duffel bag with you." Pluto argued. It was true, Hitomi may have not known it very well, but she did know how to get to where she wanted to go. Folken had talked about that briefly before he died in Zaibach, and it was as interesting as it was terrifying that her duffel bag DID follow her everywhere she went.  
  
"Ok, but I'm a little out of practice."  
  
"A little?" Ami scoffed, but then remembered that her comment had no place at the moment. She felt very self conscious when everyone stopped to look at her. "Never mind!"   
  
Hitomi closed her eyes and tried to think of Gaea and how much she wanted to go back. It was difficult at first because she was actually having a really good time at home. Then she remembered Van. She also recalled the creature that had attacked them and landed her and Ami in the hospital. She conjured the light forth once again and the three Senshi, Hitomi, and Luna were Gaea bound once again.  
  
(AN: Has anyone heard of the video game Earth Bound? Well, this is the spin off called Gaea Bound. Instead of the psychic Ness you get the Psychic Hitomi and a whole new world of gory fun. That is in reference to the Escaflowne series. I've never actually played Earth Bound.)  
  
  
Arriving on Gaea, near the village of Arzas, Hitomi proceeded in the direction of Fanelia. Usagi was a little confused, Ami and Luna were just happy for a smooth landing. To combat Usagi's confusion Pluto hit her in the head with her staff.  
  
"Itai! What the fuzzy was that for?" Usagi wailed.  
  
"For your confusion."  
  
"Oh." Usagi's confusion had been cleared up, for the most part. She now concentrated on the pain in her head rather than where they were going.  
  
(AN: Itai is Japanese for Ow.)  
  
For once, they would not rely on Ruhm to take them back to Fanelia. It was probably around eight in the morning when they arrived on foot. Usagi was tired and begging for some rest. They agreed to let her rest, Hitomi told them she would continue on to the castle alone. The Senshi complied and Hitomi was off.  
  
Something about Fanelia was different. It was very solemn feeling. Hitomi couldn't find anyway to explain why she felt that, other than she just could. As she neared the castle she noticed that there were double the guards than last time.  
  
"Umm. . . Could you help me?" she asked one of the guards. They didn't move. Hitomi felt annoyed that they didn't even acknowledge that there was another human being present. "I would like to speak to the king." She said more sternly. The guard still didn't move. "Look you stupid bucket of bolts! I'm talking to you!" She yelled. No reaction. "Is this a manican?" She asked aloud. Still no reaction. She decided that if she was going to get anywhere that she should use physical force. She punched the guard.  
  
He screeched in pain! His nose was bleeding and Hitomi's fist hurt a little from the blow.  
  
'This guy's made of rock or something.' She thought to herself.  
  
"What the hell did you do that for?!" He drew his sword with his free hand.  
  
"I asked you a few times about the King and you didn't answer." She stated.  
  
"Well, you can't see him!"  
  
"Why not?" Hitomi demanded.  
  
"Because the King is injured." He answered.  
  
"Wha? How did that happen?" Hitomi was shocked.  
  
"Some girl claiming to be Hitomi Kanzaki came and attacked him! He could have been killed but a Knight of Ceili arrived in time to stop the attacker. She got away and now there's a warrant for her arrest."  
  
Hitomi was very shocked. She hadn't been to Gaea since that last time and she would never want Van dead. "Umm...does this girl have a different name that she goes by or is her real name Hitomi Kanzaki?"  
  
"That would be her name, Miss. Why? Do you have any information on the whereabouts of this assassin?" The guard asked.  
  
"Umm. . . no, I'm just so shocked to hear that this has happened." Hitomi said, trying to keep her emotions straight so the guard wouldn't suspect anything.  
  
"You look familiar." A second guard came up. "What's your name?"  
  
Hitomi froze. She couldn't tell them her name, she would be in so much trouble. "Uhh. . . my name?"  
  
"Yes, your name!" He said.  
  
"It's Kurama." She stupidly said. 'Kurama? Why the heck did I pick that name?'  
  
(AN: Kurama means Car in Japanese. I also couldn't think of anything else to put for a name.)  
  
"Well, I'll probably see you later. Bye bye!" Hitomi left quickly. Some impostor was trying to kill Van and some how she would pay for it.  
  
"Hey! Why did you let her go?" A third guard ran up to the first two.  
  
"She's just some traveler who wanted to meet the King, apparently." The first guard said.  
  
"That's Hitomi Kanzaki!" He told the two.  
  
"That's why she looked so familiar!" The second one said. "Kurama indeed!"   
  
"Get her!" Another man said. Unfortunately, Hitomi hear them all and bolted to where Usagi and the others were waiting. When she got there they had left.  
  
"Where did they go?!?" Hitomi said frantically.  
  
  
In another part of Fanelia . . .  
  
"Hey, the food is actually pretty good." Usagi commented. Ami and Setsuna made a face. Luna dug in with her. They got tired of waiting for Hitomi and found a tavern that was having a "Free Day" and decided to have some breakfast.  
  
"I didn't do it! It was an impostor!" They heard someone scream off in the distance.  
  
"What was that?" Ami asked.  
  
"Probably just some poor sap who got caught with some other person in their bed." Usagi laughed at her own joke.  
  
"Usagi-chan, get your mind out of the gutter." Ami said with a sour look on her face.  
  
"Eat quickly, we have to go back and see if Hitomi is waiting for us." Setsuna said.  
  
"Yes Ma'am!" The two inners replied.  
  
'I hate baby-sitting the inner Senshi.' Setsuna thought a little bitterly.  
  
  
Hitomi was thrown into the dungeon. The guards slammed the door shut on her. She was about to say something but was cut off.  
  
"Your presence will be notified to the King and your sentence will be carried out at dawn." He turned and left, leaving two very mean looking guards to watch after her.  
  
"You have to believe me, I would never want Van dead." Hitomi pleaded.  
  
One of the guards drew a bow and arrow and pointed straight for Hitomi's heart. "Another word from you, traitor," the guard said bitterly, "and you will die now." Hitomi didn't say anything further. The guard has made a very convincing argument.  
  
***  
  
End Chapter Two  
  
Well, that was strange, wasn't it? So, I guess you wanna know why Hitomi is treated like a no body at first and then as a traitor right? Well, it's simple. Hitomi is the famous heroine of Gaea, but not everyone knows exactly who she is or what she looks like outside of her name. Okie dokie, I'll try to explain all of this better without this being any worse than the original!  
  
STC 


	3. Where Did Hitomi Go?

ETERNITY BREAKS II  
  
AN: All righty people! Here's the third chapter, and for one odd reason or another my story is rated PG-13. It's perfectly suited for PG, but I added the 13 just for what might happen. It's not like I'm going to throw in a ton of swearing or anything, believe me, for every swear word there is I can think of a better substitute. Though I'm sure you have noticed the word "hell" gracing us with it's presence on more than one occasion. Why am I going on about this? Well, I just felt I should open this chapter with a tiny and totally meaningless subject. Thank you.  
  
Disclaimer: They say that if I butcher the characters any more than they already are I'll get the chair. In short, I don't own Sailor Moon or Escaflowne.  
  
***  
  
Chapter Three: Where Did Hitomi Go?  
  
Talk about waiting an hour! Well, that's exactly what the Sailor Senshi did! They waited an hour for Hitomi to come back and she didn't! So, the Sailor Senshi talked about how unnerving it was to wait around for an hour.  
  
"That's it!" Usagi shouted into the streets. No one really heard, or if they did they didn't care because everyone was in doors still mourning over their King. Which none of them had ever really heard about before.  
  
"What's it, Usagi-chan?" Luna asked.  
  
"I'm going to find Hitomi." She started walking forth through the cobble stone streets with a very determined look on her face.  
  
Setsuna had to ask, "is she serious?"  
  
"You bet. Maybe we'll find her with Van." They followed Usagi until she took a wrong turn away from the castle. They got her back on course though. When arriving just on the doorstep they were immediately rushed by a troop of guards.   
  
"You there!" One of them shouted.  
  
The girls and the cat turned around to see if there was anyone else behind them.   
  
"No, you, right there." He pointed to them.  
  
"Oh, you actually meant us?" Usagi found out in sudden realization.  
  
"Yes..you." He said, sensing that this girl probably wasn't very bright.  
  
"We're here to see the King and his brother." Ami told them.  
  
"No one shall see them." The guard spat in her face.  
  
"We need to, one of our friends got by you and we were waiting an hour for her to come back for us and she never did!" Usagi yelled in Ami's defense.  
  
"So," another guard began, "that's how she got away." He chuckled a little to himself.  
  
"Who got away?" Setsuna asked cautiously.  
  
"The assassin, Hitomi Kanzaki! And you were just found out to be her accomplices!" He hissed.  
  
"Umm..." Usagi trailed off. The guards seized the moment to jump them. The Senshi, being partly on their guard, mainly Setsuna, jumped out of their grasps.  
  
They split apart in three different directions. Luna going with Usagi, darting down the east side of the Castle wall. Ami heading out of town and Setsuna traveling west.  
  
One guard went after Usagi, another after Ami and about three chased Setsuna. The other guards began to rally at the Castle gates. It was a seemingly long chase for Usagi and Luna who ran into a closed in area and were now running down a long corridor. It was like being in a tunnel. The guard was gaining fast.  
  
"We're not going to make it Luna!" Usagi shouted between pants.  
  
"Keep going, I see the light at the end." Luna shouted back. Sure enough, the tunnel ended and there was light. Usagi felt it in her bones that if she could reach that light that the chase would be over. She was about half right, she and Ami nearly collided. They stopped briefly to catch their breath.  
  
"Ami-chan." Usagi panted, forcing a smile.  
  
"Usagi..." Ami glanced behind her shoulder and found another palace guard coming after her. "Run!"  
  
At the sound of that word, Ami, Usagi, and Luna began running in one direction. The two guards, still coming in two different directions collided with one another, effectively stopping them from pursuing the girls.  
  
"What a stroke of luck, ne Ami?" Usagi said, slowing her pace a little.  
  
"Very." They ran in another direction to lose the guards should they have decided to continue following.  
  
  
Setsuna wasn't having as much luck as the other two. She still had three on her tail and she was tiring quickly.   
  
"All right you three, stop right there!" A voice from behind shouted.  
  
"Who's there?!" They turned to see what looked very much like the blond girl they saw earlier in different clothes.  
  
"Ai to segino, Sera fuku bishoujo senshi! Sera Muun, tsuki ni kawatte! Ohshikyo!"  
  
"Huh?" The guards were really confused now and Usagi was tired and frustrated with them already.  
  
"Stop chasing my friend or die!"  
  
"Oh ok." Luna, who watched in the safety of an ally, never saw men that could run so fast. Usagi must have done something else to make them that scared, Sailor Moon isn't that terrifying.  
  
"Usagi?" Luna asked.  
  
"What?"  
  
"How did you scare them away like that?"  
  
"I was actually straight forward for a change." She answered.  
  
"Well," Ami said, emerging from the shadows of the buildings, "let's go crash the castle."  
  
"Ok!"  
  
  
Now, this is where the reader can do some thinking to figure out exactly how they got inside. It was a simply smashing plan, developed by Ami of course. Followed through by Sailor Moon the battering ram, and Setsuna, the calm yet sometimes not helpful Out Senshi. It was all a quite amazing effort to find Hitomi, the one that doesn't disappear as often as Peach, but often enough to cause some annoyance.  
  
Once inside, the senshi and Luna ended up rounding many corners to avoid the guards. They reached a three-way hall and decided to split up and meet back there in an hour or so. They would have to estimate carefully, because the only ones who were capable of telling time were the ones with watches. Namely Ami and Setsuna.   
  
  
Ami was being careful not to alert any unwanted attention to herself as she crept down the hall to find someone that could help her locate Hitomi. The hall lead on to many other smaller corridors, which she followed. After going through about five she noticed she had only about fifteen minutes left. She came across one room which Folken was in. He was talking to what looked like the King's advisors.  
  
"Van is recovering well, Lord Folken." One of them said.  
  
"And we caught the assassin, she is awaiting execution at dawn." Another told him.  
  
"Good." He said, though his face showed no expression.  
  
'Something did happen to Van after all. It has to be an impostor, Hitomi wouldn't do such a thing!' Ami thought to herself.  
  
"I just can't believe Hitomi would do such a thing. You are dismissed." Folken told them.  
  
"Uh, Lord, we also seemed to have found some accomplices of the Kanzaki girl."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"They got away. . ." His voice dropped a bit when he told Folken the news.  
  
"Find them." He said sternly.  
  
"Yes sir." They scampered off like mice, perhaps afraid they angered Folken.   
  
He turned to the window and sighed. It was raining again. Fanelia has had a very wet week, but something to him seemed different about the rain.  
  
"It would be nice to see a sunny day, ne?" Folken didn't acknowledge Ami's presence in the room. He thought it was just some servant girl here to bother him about some tedious task. "It wasn't Hitomi's fault!" She almost yelled, feeling that was the reason she was being ignored.  
  
"How dare you!" Folken yelled, when he turned to face the person that would defy him and his brother, he was bit shocked. "A-mi. . ."  
  
"Yes, it's me." She told him.  
  
"How did you-?"  
  
"Get back here?"  
  
"Yes." He couldn't believe that Ami was back.  
  
"Not even I know all the details, but I can tell you that the person who attacked Van was an impostor." Her voice was very stern.  
  
"I'd like to believe that Hitomi wouldn't betray Van like that, but I can't. This impostor looked very much like Hitomi, and . . ." Folken couldn't believe what he was saying either.  
  
"I was with Hitomi almost everyday. I know she didn't go back to Gaea and I know that she would never want to hurt Van."  
  
"Well, well, that's very nice to hear if you live on planet sunshine!" He spat.  
  
"I know you're upset over what happened to Van, but how will Hitomi's "death" help?" He was stumped and Ami knew it.  
  
"Well then, who is the impostor, Ms. Mizuno?"  
  
Ami didn't know that much, but she had a hunch. "Do you remember that creature we fought against a few months ago?" Folken nodded. "Well, he's back."  
  
"The Reaper is back?!?" Folken looked like he was going to jump out of his skin.  
  
"Umm, no. The other one is."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Don't take him lightly, he's far stronger than he was last time and I don't know how much, but I assume he is the impostor."  
  
"Makes sense. I suppose we should go see Hitomi now."  
  
  
  
"Shake, shake, shake Senora! Shake it all the time!" Hitomi was sang, despite the current conditions.  
  
"Would you please shut up?" The guard was ready to rip her throat out, but she sat in the back of her cell.  
  
". . . She's a hurricane in all kinds of weather. Jump in the line, rock your body in time. Ok, I believe you. . ." Hitomi ignored him. If she only had a few more hours to live then she was going to find ways to annoy these guys like there was no tomorrow!  
  
"Hitomi, please stop singing that stupid song." Ami said. Hitomi immediately stopped and ran to the bars.  
  
"Ami-chan! You're here!"  
  
"Yes, we're here to talk to you." As soon as Ami said that, Hitomi noticed Folken.  
  
"Folken. . ." Hitomi didn't know what else to say.  
  
"Guards, give us some time alone to talk." Folken ordered them and they obeyed.  
  
"Hitomi, I believe I can safely say that it wasn't you who tried to kill Van." He paused for a moment, Hitomi gave him this look that seemed to read, "no duh, you moron!" "However, the situation is that you are a traitor, and therefore to find the real assassin you need to travel in disguise."  
  
"Er, ok." Hitomi was a little confused, but trusted that Folken knew what he was doing, or at least Ami did.  
  
"Guards, come back in here." Folken yelled. They came back. "Open the cell."  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Just do it." So, they did. "Now, go inside." They did that too. Seeing an opportunity to flee, Hitomi ran out of the cell, and Ami slammed the door and locked it.  
  
"Hey! What did you do that for? You're letting the killer get away!!" They yelled.  
  
"We've got some business to attend to, I trust that you'll stay here and do your job." Folken was enjoying this. For some reason, the cruel irony was actually quite humorous.  
  
Ami flung a large piece of tattered cloth over Hitomi and dressed her up to look like some old beggar woman. As they departed the dungeon more guards met them.  
  
"Is everything all right sir?"  
  
"Everything is fine. This poor old woman was put in a cell next to Hitomi, and we're relocating her." Folken walked away, but mention something just before leaving the room. "I've changed my mind about Hitomi's sentence. Instead of death at dawn she can rot away in the dungeon. No one is to go in there anymore."  
  
"Isn't that a bit cruel, sir?"  
  
"What did she try to do to my brother?"  
  
"I see." And they left quickly to Van's quarters.  
  
***  
  
End of Chapter Three. The word dungeon actually comes from the French word donjon. A donjon did not originally function as a prison, but was a great tower, which changed to a keep and later changed to a prison tower. Which would call for the change in the word. You can find out more about dungeons or "donjon's" at www.castles-of-britain.com  
  
STC 


	4. Syonara, Hitomi.

ETERNITY BREAKS II  
  
AN: I forgot to mention the song Hitomi was singing in the last chapter. It's called Shake, Shake Senora by Harry Belafonte, who sang some really great songs that everyone knows! Such as, The Banana Boat Song (Deyo) and the Lion Sleeps Tonight. Very fun music. Anyway, I'm curious as to way a lot of authors will say read and review is the only way to be a nice reader. . ? I think of it this way, I write because I like to. I like to know if people like what I write but if you don't think my work is worth anymore time to review after reading it then don't. Anyway, on with Chapter Four.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or Escaflowne or anything else in here! We're talking major weight of copy right!  
  
***  
  
Chapter Four: Syonara, Hitomi.  
  
  
It was an exhausting hour and a half going around to find Usagi, Setsuna, and Luna. It was especially hard to keep it descrete, but with Van temporarily crippled it was hard to avoid the guards. They met in a private room where Folken excused the guards. He would have abrogated their duties around that main hall but with the recent events coming around, he could only dismiss them from the room area.  
  
"So, why are we here?" Usagi asked.  
  
"To be away from preying eyes." Folken said. "I am Folken, by the way."  
  
Usagi smiled, "nice to meet you."  
  
"Indeed. I have already met your friends." He sat down, his guests. "It was most terrifying seeing Hitomi attack Van like that." He began.  
  
"Oh, I know what you mean. Totally. She is so hard to beat down! I try to shield but that doesn't work and as soon as Hitomi backs off Ami's on my case with her stupid laser attack." Usagi blurted out. Folken was thourghouly shocked, his eyes darted from Hitomi to Ami in clear confusion.  
  
"Usagi, we're not talking about that video game now." Ami told her in a somewhat harsh tone.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"Folken, you'll have to excuse my friend here. She tends to bring up topics at inappropriate times." Ami glared at her, Usagi sank into her chair.  
  
"Uh huh . . ." He trailed off.  
  
"Anyway, the most distressing news is that Bob is back." Setsuna said, glaring at the two inners.  
  
"In short, just to save an annoyingly long explanation, Bob is ten times stronger than he was last time. He told us that he wanted to get revenge for his master, and possibly himself. His power is super natural and therefore have the power to change his form, come back here and try to kill Van."  
  
"But why do all that?" Folken asked.  
  
"To create confusion!" Usagi yelled.  
  
"It worked. ." Hitomi agreed.  
  
"Well, now that we've all assumed that was the main reason, we should get a proper disguise for Hitomi now." Setsuna said.  
  
"Wow, you're good at knowing all this stuff." Hitomi said.  
  
"Yeah, I know. I can't help it. Now sit down, shut up, and let us see what we have to work with." She told Hitomi, who reluctantly obeyed.  
  
After a few minutes of considering what to make Hitomi look like, she decided it best to make Hitomi a guy.  
  
"I'm thinking no." Hitomi told them.  
  
"Why not, you could totally fit the profile!" Usagi said.  
  
"Yes, but I'm not a man! What is wrong with you people!?" Hitomi almost yelled at them.  
  
"What is wrong with us? Such a good question, Hitomi." Ami mocked Hitomi's last efforts to save her gender.  
  
"Come on, you won't be a gender-bender for that long anyway." Usagi was the convincing voice. Hitomi was ready to go along with it. . . sort of.  
  
"Ok, what are you going to do to me?"  
  
"Well, your hair is perfect the way it is, we just have to get you into some different clothes and find a way to . . ." Setsuna trailed off in slight embarrassment of what else would be done to Hitomi.  
  
"Find a way to . . . ?" Hitomi urged Setsuna to continue her thought.  
  
"Oh, never mind that part. We'll just dress you up as some sort of swordsman or something." Setsuna decided.  
  
Folken thought about that. "It could work."  
  
"Oh yeah?" Hitomi asked.  
  
"It could work out rather well, in fact. The problem might be that you have no idea how to fight with a sword, right?"  
  
"Yes that's true . . ." Hitomi didn't like where this was going.  
  
"Then we'll just have to teach you!" Folken shouted with almost pure joy. He looked like a kid who finally got his parents to agree to let him go to Disneyland or something like that. Folken's utter and swift change in mood made Hitomi feel even more nervous about where this was all going to end up.  
  
"This is going to hurt, isn't it?" Hitomi asked with a sinking feeling.  
  
"If you hold still it won't hurt that much." Setsuna told her. It still didn't sound like a very good idea, but Hitomi was a wanted woman and there was no other way to go about it but a disguise.  
  
  
Night fell as it normally does at the end of the day, when the sun sinks below the hills and mountains and the stars come out to play. Van was supposed to be in bed, resting. Being a stubborn as he was, he was out on the balcony looking up at the stars. One question ran through his mind, "why?" He could not believe that the person he cared for most would come back to hurt him. He had convinced himself several times that day, while he lay in bed, that it couldn't have been Hitomi. Never in a million years would Hitomi hurt anyone. And yet he came back to wondering that it probably was possible for someone as gentle as she to turn into a mad-man and start killing people all around her. For some reason still, the mental image in his mind of Hitomi doing such a thing could not take form. Therefore the person who attacked him must have been an impostor of some sort. The next question that danced around his mind was "who?" Who could it be? Did he have anymore enemies now?  
  
A knock at the door jolted Van from his thoughts, before he could get a single word out, five strange people dashed into the room and shut the door as quickly and quietly as possible.  
  
"What the?"  
  
"Van, hi." Hitomi was surprised. Just a little. Van looked to be in much, much better shape than everyone in the castle made him out to be. In fact he only had a small patch on his head covered with a bandage.  
  
"Hitomi, now is not the time to pull a Yoda." Ami commented and walked briskly to Van's closet and started digging out some clothes they could use.  
  
"Huh? Hitomi, don't come near me!" He jumped onto his bed and covered himself with the bed covers like a frightened five-year-old.  
  
"Van, I heard what happened to you. It wasn't me that was here. You have to believe me, I would never want to kill you." Hitomi said. Van peeked from the covers.  
  
"Really?" He said, he knew that she was right, but certain events lead to his mind regressing.  
  
"Oh, yeah. I can vouch for her if I have to." Usagi said. Setsuna, by this time was helping Ami pick out some things that didn't look so Van-ish.  
  
"Go ahead then. Prove it to me." Van said pulling the covers from his head.  
  
"Well, we know because while you were getting attacked by the fake Hitomi, the real Hitomi was beating the snot out of me and Ami." Usagi explained, still in video game mode.   
  
"Hitomi!" Van jumped out of bed and in a flash had the tip of his sword at her chest.  
  
"Usagi! Shut up! You're not helping!" Ami yelled, clearly upset with Usagi being so careless with her words.  
  
"Van, don't point that thing at me," she said, taking her hand and gently pushing the blade away. "You could put someone's eye out, ya know."  
  
"You almost took my life out." He said, sheathing his sword.  
  
"No I didn't. According to Ms. Blond back there, I almost killed her." Hitomi said with a rather bit of distaste.  
  
"Do you think you'll fit into these?" Ami asked, holding up a green shirt and a type of coat with a black color and yellow cuffs.  
  
"What are you doing?" Van demanded.  
  
"We're trying to find a good disguise for Hitomi." Ami explained.  
  
"What? Why?"   
  
"Because she was framed, that's why. She did not harm you, someone else who dressed up as Hitomi tried to kill you. If they had succeeded they might have gotten both you and Hitomi." Ami finished.  
  
"You lost me." Van sat down in a chair near the door.  
  
"It's simple really, all the look-alike had to do was show his/her face. I think that they wanted you to actually be dead, and didn't succeed. It was enough to get Hitomi in trouble, but as long as you're alive Hitomi has a chance." Setsuna did her fill-in-the-gape job rather well.  
  
"It just so happens that our chances for beating this thing back increases if Hitomi pulls a she-male." Ami explained.  
  
"I'm getting insulted every turn of the way." Hitomi said, with a displeased tone.  
  
"Ok...so, who do you think did it?"  
  
"Remember Bob, Van?" Folken asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"According to our dear friends from the Mystic Moon, he's back. On a vengeance trip no less."  
  
"Oh." Van got up and walked Hitomi over the closet.  
  
"Though, I must say," Usagi began, "you're acting rather well for someone who was near death."  
  
"Uh, thanks."  
  
They went through all of Van's clothes until they found something that could work. A green shirt, similar to Van's. They went through Hitomi's duffel bag and got out a pair of blue jeans, which would work a little better than Van or Folken's pants. They found a kind of jacket/coat that would work to cover more of Hitomi's top half.  
  
"You know," Hitomi said, "I feel the whole green shirt thing is so cliché."  
  
Ami paused for a moment to consider. "Yeah, I suppose you're right." The blue haired genius pulled out some scissors and cut the two predominant hairs on Hitomi's head off.  
  
"My hair!" Hitomi shrieked.  
  
"Oh please, it's not going to make a big difference anyway. Besides, most people can recognize you with that than with out. And anyway, you'll be wearing a hat." Ami explained.  
  
Ami took some glue she found in the infamous bag and dripped a couple of drops on the hairs.   
  
"Guess what, Hitomi!"  
  
"Uh oh...er, what?"  
  
"You're going to have a mustache!" Ami quickly slapped on the hairs just above her upper lip before Hitomi had a chance to defend herself. It did the trick, Hitomi now officially looked like a man.  
  
"Why me?" She asked as Usagi toped the disguise off with a Robin Hood type hat.  
  
"It doesn't always have to be about you, ya know." Luna said. "Perhaps we should get rid of those shoes too." She noticed Hitomi still had her Nikes on.  
  
"You took away my dignity and my gender, you're NOT taking my shoes!" Hitomi shouted, and tried to jump from the chair, but Setsuna held her firmly in place.  
  
"I think I have some forest boots that might fit her." Van said, reentering the room.  
  
"Ok, get those!" Van did as Usagi exclaimed and found the boots in his little closet space. Hitomi caved in and untied her Nikes and tried on the boots. They fit well enough, except for some toe space at the end of the boot, but wasn't' enough to stop her from walking around comfortably.  
  
"Wow, you really don't look like Hitomi anymore." Van said.  
  
"Gee, thanks. I feel so special now. By the way, where are the guards?" Hitomi asked.  
  
"Oh, I dismissed them." He told her.  
  
"Ok."  
  
"Why did you want to know?"  
  
"I was just wondering why anyone didn't come in while I was shouting "no" at everything." She explained.  
  
"I see." Van said.  
  
"Hey, Hitomi." The cherry Bunny said, "you look a lot like the Sheriff of Knottingham, except without the cape."  
  
"Thanks..."  
  
"We should make up a cool name for you now." Usagi continued.  
  
"Such as?"  
  
"Such as . . . Link!"  
  
"Link never had a mustache." Hitomi said flatly.  
  
"I know, I know. But do the people of Gaea know?" Usagi had actually made some sense. No one knew of the joy that was the Legend of Zelda. And so, they would begin their journey that night, and Hitomi would be known as Link.  
  
***  
  
It took me long enough to come out with Chapter 4. Been busy with school. This week is my last week then I'm on summer break. Hallelujah! Whether or not they actually discussed TLOZ in either Escaflowne or Sailor Moon does not mean that I can't add it in. Besides, I like the Zelda games.   
  
Link was kind of a poor choice of names for someone who doesn't really look like Link. Oh well, it'll stick for now. I'll get out the next chapter as soon as possible. 


	5. Hitomi Kanzaki and the Chamber of Horror...

ETERNITY BREAKS II  
  
AN: Well, here we go with Chapter 5. With school pretty much closed, this will be fairly decent. Umm, recap. Hitomi is now a guy named Link. Ok, and she/he and Van and the rest are going to go find Ultra Bob to put a stop to this madness. Right! So, without further delay, I present to thee, Chapter Five!  
  
Disclaimer: It's not-a me who owns a this stuff!  
  
***  
  
Chapter Five: Hitomi Kanzaki and the Chamber of Horror  
  
(AN: Yes, I have taken the title of a Harry Potter book and mutated it. Very good. 10 points if you got that without me telling you.)  
  
In the early hours of the morning Hitomi, er, Link and Van and everyone else had packed up what they could carry, that would be necessary for getting away. Van told his advisors that it would be necessary for him to leave Fanelia until the assassin was caught. Hitomi, though she had no idea how to use it, was given a sword.  
  
"I told you, Hitomi," Folken told them, once he started their little wagon down the road out of Fanelia, "that we will teach you how to use it so there is no doubt. Hopefully no one will challenge you."  
  
"Why didn't you guys just dress me up as a hippie?" Hitomi didn't like being Link very much. Wasn't that fun for her. Especially with Usagi making some really bad jokes about her disguise.   
  
"No one on Gaea knows what a hippie is." Setsuna told her.  
  
"What do I call Dryden then?" She muttered to herself.  
  
"Honestly, you're lucky enough to be disguised the way you are. That way no one's trying to rip your throat out and Ultra Bob won't find you as easily." Setsuna said, getting somewhat annoyed with Hitomi.  
  
(AN: Remember, Ultra Bob wants Hitomi's power.)  
  
A few moments of silence passed by, with the exception of the wagon wheels squeaking and bumping over the occasional rocks in the road.  
  
(AN: Another common mistake in spelling is mixing up the words accept and except. If you are going to a party to accept the invitation. When you want to go to school all days of the week except Friday, make up a book of good excuses.)  
  
"Do you guys hear that?" Ami asked. The woods around them had gone dead quiet. Usagi cupped her hands behind her ears in order to hear the tiniest sound. Morning daylight had entered the woods only somewhat. What sky could be seen made it evident that it was an overcast morning. They listened intently for a minute or so.  
  
Usagi then said, "I don't hear anything."  
  
"Exactly." Ami said quietly. "Let's keep moving." She motioned to Folken to get the horses to move. They kept moving all that morning. Hitomi got a sick like feeling in the pit of her stomach that something wasn't right. That feeling didn't lighten up, in fact it worsened as some rain poured lightly on them.  
  
"Hitomi, are you all right?" Usagi asked.  
  
"I'll be fine, don't worry." Hitomi said, being as brave as she could though she could not hide the fact that something was really wrong.  
  
"Hitomi. . ." Van whispered.  
  
  
  
  
  
It dragged on nice and slow all day long. Hitomi, or Link, started feeling better about night fall. Usagi had managed to complain enough to make Luna to make Ami, to make Setsuna, to make Folken stop the wagon for the night and make camp.  
  
"Usagi, you can be very immature sometimes." Luna commented.  
  
"Well, duh! Not only do you know that but so does the reader!" The blond retorted.  
  
"Hitomi." Van said. Hitomi looked up from what she was doing.  
  
"Yes, Van?"  
  
"Come, I'm going to show you how to use that sword." He walked a little ways from the camp sight and drew his sword.  
  
"Right now?" Hitomi asked, feeling a little foolish about actually attempting something like that.  
  
"Yes, now."   
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"I'm sure, now come on!" He was growing a bit impatient.  
  
"You know, this probably isn't a good idea." Hitomi tried to push back the sword idea.  
  
"I'll tell you what's not a good idea, pretending to be a swordsman and not knowing how to fight." Van said. He was right, if anyone challenged Hitomi she couldn't just turn them down.  
  
"Ok, but..."  
  
"But what?"   
  
"Never mind..." She got up and took off the cover coat she was wearing. She walked on over to where Van was standing with his sword drawn.  
  
"Now, draw your sword, Hitomi."   
  
She hesitated a bit pulling it out. She finally did of course. Van didn't look all that thrilled.  
  
"What?" She asked.  
  
"You don't waste your time thinking about whether it might be a good idea or not to take your sword out." He said. "Your life could be on the line and you could very well be killed just thinking about it." He said a bit too harshly. He noticed this when he saw Hitomi cast her eyes downward. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to hurt you..." He trailed off. He was a little suspicious of her earlier but now he felt so stupid for suspecting her and talking to her that way.   
  
"Van, don't worry about it. I'll..." Hitomi trailed off when singing could be heard very well near their little fire.  
  
"Spider Man, Spider Man. Does whatever a spider can!" Usagi wasn't singing as much she was yelling. Ami even joined in.  
  
"Spins a web any size, catches thieves just like flies!" Ami sounded like she was singing, only in comparison to Usagi.  
  
"Look out! Here comes the Spider Man!" They both sang in unison.  
  
(Disclaimer: Don't own Spidey either.)  
  
"Spider Man?" Van was thoroughly confused.  
  
"Just some guy who doesn't really exist. Are you going to teach me now or what?" Hitomi asked. Van snapped back to his senses.  
  
"Uh, yeah. By the way, maybe you should ditch the hat and coat. You look better that way."  
  
"Van, better as a man or woman?" Hitomi wanted to know what he was getting at, but he blushed slightly. He knew Hitomi was a girl but he meant that the hat and coat didn't really work well with the rest of her disguise.  
  
"I, uh..." He forgot how to say it.  
  
"Just kidding, Van. I thought the hat and coat were a bit much as well." In fact, without the stupid coat, which clashed even more than the hat, Link looked quite handsome.  
  
They began practicing. Van took it easy on Hitomi since this was way too new for her. She proved to Van that she could block his easy blows just like anyone else. He pushed her harder, and she pushed back.  
  
"Not bad." He concluded. "You're the best amateur I've seen."  
  
"Really?" Van nodded.  
  
"You just need to be a little more offensive though. The best defense is an offense, you know." He sheathed his sword and Hitomi did likewise, well after missing the sheath a few times. They turned in. Link laid down near the smoldering fire for a little warmth and covered up with the large over coat. He put the hat over his head and went to sleep. Wait, was that Hitomi? Yes it was, but I'll just call her Link when no one knows that she is Hitomi.  
  
(AN: Remember, Hitomi IS new at this. She's going to mess up a few times before she gets it right. It's like learning to drive except no swords.)  
  
  
The next morning they had packed up and were off. Hitomi thought about the part about the best defense being an offense. It reminded her of what Balgus told Van about charging more aggressively, except Van's was better well put.  
  
"It's actually clear today!" Usagi cheered. "And I never want to drink that much again!" She promised herself aloud.  
  
"Wha-?" Hitomi asked.  
  
"The reason why both of these two Senshi were singing like that last night is that they both had a good dose of ale." Setsuna said.  
  
"Oh. I know how that is." Hitomi said as she remembered how she made a fool of herself when she had drunk too much at the dinner table in front of Millerna and the rest the first night they were in Astoria.  
  
(AN: We all know drinking can be a very bad thing. Not only do you look and act stupid you can also destroy your liver, kidneys, hurt your stomach, and kill brain cells from excessive drinking.)  
  
They later arrived at the border of Astoria. The guards at the post were also looking for Hitomi Kanzaki. The coat was slumped over her shoulders and hat was over her eyes a little bit. Van and Folken hid themselves with a couple of linen shrouds they found in the back of their open wagon. Usagi, Ami, and Setsuna did likewise to cover up their clothes.  
  
"Excuse me, but may I have your name?" One of the guards asked.  
  
"Uh, it's Link." She said in a slightly deeper voice.  
  
"Link what?" He asked.  
  
'Oh no! They I don't think Link ever had a last name!' She though frantically. "Link Portz." She said. 'Portz? That's the stupidest name I've come up with yet. I'm Japanese, where the heck did Portz come from?' She thought distastefully.  
  
"All right, you may go." He told Folken. The horses got the idea to go ahead and they were off to Palas.  
  
"By the way, why are we going to Palas?" Hitomi asked Folken.  
  
"We need to talk to Allen and Millerna. Plus Duke Chid is visiting. We need to make them aware of the dangers coming around." He explained.  
  
  
It was about mid-afternoon when they arrived at the Palace at Palas. They were welcomed as the unexpected visiting royals that they were. The Senshi had a little trouble explaining themselves, but Van said they were with him. Usagi carried in Luna and they went to the courtyard where Millerna was talking to Chid.  
  
"Van Fanel, it's good to see you again and in good health too." Millerna greeted him.   
  
"It is good to see you again, Princess and you too Duke." He said to them both.  
  
"It's Ami again." She said. She knew Hitomi was Ami's friend, but she hadn't seen either one for a while.   
  
"Yes, it's me again." Ami said. "This is Usagi, and I think you've already met Pluto."  
  
"Yes, I have." She said. It was clear that such a bond as the attempted murder of Van to Hitomi's name had caused some distrust between her and the Senshi.  
  
"Wow you're really a Princess?" Usagi was clearly amazed at the new world around her.  
  
"Yes, and you are?"  
  
"I'm Usagi Tsukino." Usagi gave her usual friendly, yet goofy smile.  
  
"Why did you need confirmation on that?" She asked.  
  
"No special reason, I just think that's so cool!" Usagi shouted.  
  
"Right, and who is this young man you've brought with you, Van?" Millerna asked, noticing the disguised Hitomi.  
  
"This is Link." He said.  
  
"Link, I'm glad to make your acquaintance." Millerna curtsied.  
  
Hitomi stood there dumbfounded. Folken gave a light jab to her ribs.  
  
"Oh! It's nice too meet you too!" Link bowed.  
  
"Hmm, you are a strange one." Millerna commented.  
  
Usagi whispered to Ami, "Call me Ishmeal!" Ami giggled a little, though not really wanting to make fun of Hitomi. She stood up straight again and tried to stand more like Van, or at the least Folken. She eventually stopped because she thought she was fidgeting too much.  
  
"Handsome too." She said, leaning closer to Hitomi. Usagi, Ami, Luna, and even Setsuna were about to break out in laughter at any moment. Hitomi was freaking out. 'Ah, God get it away!' She was thinking.  
  
"Princess, he is one of our body guards and must not be distracted too much that s..he won't be able to protect the King of Fanelia." Folken explained.  
  
"All right. So, Folken it's nice to see you getting along with your brother."  
  
"I thought I'd never live to see the day." He smiled.  
  
"Actually, you didn't. Remember?" Ami said.  
  
"Oh, wait that's true." They burst into laughter for a moment or so, except for Usagi who had no idea why they were laughing.   
  
"Perhaps I'll get to know you all better tonight at dinner?" She said, then glancing over at Hitomi.  
  
"Sure." Van accepted the invitation for dinner.  
  
"All right then. By the way, where is Merle and the other two?"  
  
"They're back in Fanelia watching over things. A certain creature is on the loose. So dangerous that we, ourselves, must be here to warn you and the Duke of it's presence." Van said.  
  
Chid, although seemed happy, suddenly had a solemn look upon his face. "I just can't believe Hitomi would do such a thing."   
  
Van looked to Link nervously for a second. Folken remained silent.  
  
"Don't worry little guy," Usagi began. "Hitomi didn't hurt Van. She would never. I know."  
  
"Really?" The young ruler had a glint of hope in his eyes for the first time since he heard terrible news.  
  
"Totally. Hitomi is all that and a bag of chips!" Usagi said.  
  
"What?" Chid wasn't sure what she meant by that. Link/Hitomi slapped her forehead in embarrassment about the same time Ami did.  
  
"Usagi, no more evaluating people today. Let's just follow Princess Millerna around and take in the sites of the Palace grounds." Ami said, pushing her friend along.  
  
"But I don't have my camera."   
  
"Now!"  
  
"Yes, ma'am." Usagi sulked all the way in, followed by the Fanel brothers, and Link.  
  
***  
  
End o' Chapter 5.  
  
Wasn't that freaky? Millerna likes Hitomi, only it's not Hitomi she likes, she likes Link! This is a slightly good reason to rate this PG-13. This development sort of reminds me of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. It's a very funny play and it kicks the crud out of Romeo and Juliet.  
  
"You know who said that? William Shatnear." -Pepper Ann  
  
"It's William Shakespeare!" - Nicki  
  
Ja 'til later!  
  
STC 


	6. The Nightmare Begins

ETERNITY BREAKS II  
  
AN: I just got back from the desert and did it ever suck! Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, and Arizona was nothing but desert! My wonderful family decided to try and avoid all signs of life (civilization) in those states except for Nevada, which only has casinos...and yeah, it really, really sucked. Never go to the desert! Anyway, I have been thinking up a bunch of loveliness for chapter 6. Enjoy, especially those who didn't go to the desert.  
  
By the way, this isn't meant to bash Usagi in anyway. I just like to take advantage of her blondness, let's say. She is really one of my favorite characters of the show, however, she gets the spotlight way too often and needs to be taken down a peg or two.  
  
As for Shakespeare's play, Twelfth Night is the only decent one I've ever read of his. Romeo and Juliet is tired and worn out and I just don't like tragedies that were supposed to be some sort of romantic fluke.  
  
Disclaimer: All standard disclaimers apply, and as usual I don't own Sailor Moon, Escaflowne or the name Link for that matter of fact.  
  
***  
  
Chapter Six: The Nightmare Begins  
  
  
Meanwhile Hitomi and the others were in Asturia, Ultra Bob was deliberating a new plan of action to capture the psychic girl. It was almost too humorous. She dressed as a he? He had put much forethought into how entertaining her capture would be, but this was most unexpected.  
  
"I can't believe she did that!" Bob was howling with laughter as he watched the nervous Hitomi shift uncomfortably in her seat through a glass like mist.  
  
He regained his composure. Pausing briefly the scene before him that lay in the pit of darkness of his death chamber, he wondered what it would be like to have such power. Too see all dangers before him, too be able to make people disappear with a single thought. This power was not to be taken lightly, and to think, Hitomi hadn't even developed it to its full potential.  
  
"One does not know when their enemy will just haul off and surprise them." He told himself. "Therefore, I need to be the surprising one." He smiled to himself with this thought, his sharp teeth gleaming white from the small bit of light entering his dark space. "The one problem is - how do you surprise a psychic?"  
  
He thought momentarily to think how exactly he would do it. "I have it!" He shouted with glee. "Come to me, those long dead from the Black Moon!"  
  
What appeared before him was Rubeus. Bob studied the man carefully. "I meant all, but then again, one will do." He said quickly to himself.  
  
"Who are you, and where am I?" Rubeus asked.  
  
"That question is too predictable! Quick, ask something else!"  
  
"Ok, is it true that you are the one they speak of?"  
  
"Yes, it is." Ultra Bob confirmed.  
  
"So, then, you are the one to avenge your master's demise after losing him to Sailor Moon?" Rubeus asked.  
  
"Well, not to Sailor Moon. To another Senshi. Sailor Mercury." Ultra Bob told his new guinea pig.  
  
"Sailor . . . Mercury?" He asked in disbelief.  
  
"Yes." Ultra Bob said. Rubeus burst out laughing, so much though that he eventually had to hold his sides to keep them from splitting.  
  
"You lost to her?!" He laughed even harder.  
  
"She's a lot stronger than you think, smarter too. Though the one I seek to destroy is a girl named Hitomi." Rubeus stopped laughing and listened.  
  
"When I was sent to the realm of the dead, my master was condemned to fade away into nothingness, though his energy was left behind with no mind to direct. I seized the opportunity to take this energy, which amplified my own." He began.  
  
"What does this have to do with anything."  
  
"I'll tell you, but first shut up and listen!" Rubeus did so. "I was and am loyal to my master. Because of the fate that was given to him I made a promise to avenge his demise. However, to make sure that I stay on top of things I need the power of that girl, Hitomi. The Senshi are not of my real concern, however they will serve a purpose of getting Hitomi to surrender herself." He explained.  
  
Rubeus considered what he was doing. "I have tried the same thing. I tried to use the kidnapping of the Senshi to get Sailor Moon to hand over that crystal of her's and that child. It back fired. Sailor Moon can not be defeated." So, he concluded.  
  
"Sailor Moon is among the small group of Senshi around that girl now. They have tried to disguise her to hide her from friends and me." Ultra Bob held out a massive claw and the images of his first attempted abduction of Hitomi went. As seen, he was taken out by Sailor Moon.  
  
Rubeus chuckled. "I told you, Sailor Moon can not be defeated, that is why we are all here now."  
  
"You miss the point, she and Sailor Mercury and Pluto will be the one's rendered helpless. They do not posses the power to see the future, they will be surprised, my power can surpass that of Sailor Moon's."  
  
"Yes, I'm sure." Rubeus continued to laugh.  
  
"Do not laugh, for the power I have is the power of death's grip. Whatever I deem worthy of it will die!"  
  
"And yet be so vulnerable?"  
  
"How would you like to get even with Sailor Moon for being the cause of your death?"  
  
The red-haired man smirked. "That would be worth almost any price."  
  
"Good. Though, you must obey me. I will give you all the power you need to make a successful capture of the Senshi. Beware, the soldier of time looks after them." Ultra Bob said.  
  
"I will do as you command!" It was almost too good to be true for Rubeus, getting the chance where he could overtake Sailor Moon was too much.  
  
"All right then, first you must join me for a tea party!" And they disappeared from the dark void to a fancy tea party with crumpets and everything!  
  
  
  
  
Millerna watched the new Hitomi carefully. Hitomi noticed this, and at that moment she wasn't sure if Millerna had thought that Link looked too much like Hitomi or that she had found a new crush in Link. Whatever it was, it made Hitomi feel uncomfortable.  
  
Seated in the royal dining area for dinner, the room was simply excellent! It was bright and warm and very elegant. Hitomi wasn't the only one feeling uncomfortable, Usagi was still trying to figure out how to refold her fancy napkin.  
  
"Usagi-chan, just leave it alone." Ami told her, as they awaited King Aston. Chid sat across from Millerna, next to Van. On Van's other side was Link, seated next to Link was Ami, who sat next to Usagi. Across from Ami sat Dryden, on one of those rare occasions where he actually stopped by. Across from Usagi was Princess Eries, and across from Van was Allen Schezar. Next to Millerna sat Folken. Setsuna took Luna off to be some place else, feeling that the dining room was no place for them.  
  
"So, then." Allen began. "The man seated next to you is a grand swordsman who is to protect you from Hitomi?"  
  
Hitomi cringed upon hearing her name again. "Yes, he is." Van confirmed.  
  
"Well then, after dinner I would like a demonstration of you sword skills, Link."  
  
Van, Ami, Folken, Hitomi, and Usagi froze stiff.  
  
"Do you accept?" Allen asked.  
  
"Uh . . ." Hitomi had no idea what to say. Allen was almost as great as Balgus, as was Van, but fighting him would be like trying to stop a train head on. Couldn't be done!  
  
"Oh, well!" Usagi started to giggle nervously. "You see, there's this new rule, which I'm sure you might have not heard of," she cleared her throat. "You see, it's this thing about not sword fighting right after dinner."  
  
"I would like to hear this from Link." Allen said sternly.  
  
Hitomi nearly freaked out. She tried to disguise her voice as best as possible. "Sir, I can not just put my blade on the field every time someone feels like testing my skill. The only ones allowed to do that are the ones who wish to kill Lord Van." Hitomi wasn't sure whether her argument was convincing or not.  
  
"I see, looking for the real challenge." Allen said. "Good of you, I'm sorry to ask to take you away from your duties."  
  
'Yeah, well you should know better than to waste my time, Schezar.' Hitomi thought. Pulling this off was going to be a lot harder than she originally thought.  
  
"I must say I am crushed to hear that Hitomi is the one who tried to kill Van. Ami, you must be so hurt that your friend has turned to such a life."  
  
About the time Allen commented on that Ami was sipping some water left on the table and nearly choked on it when Allen was talking to her about Hitomi.  
  
"Well, how can we be sure that it is Hitomi?" Ami asked, trying to get the best of them.  
  
"It's not just Folken and Van's eyes that saw her, another in Fanelia took a shadow graph of the escape." Eries said, unfolding a piece of paper with a black and white imprint image that unmistakably looked like Hitomi.   
  
"Oh yeah! I can prove it wasn't her!" Usagi shouted, jumping out of her seat to take out a Polaroid she had of her, Ami, and Hitomi at her home one evening eating pancakes and studying for exams. She slammed the picture down next to the shadow graph.  
  
"Wow!" Van exclaimed looking at the picture. Folken, too, was in awe.   
  
"This was taken just two days before we got here, and the day we left we were playing a game! Therefore Hitomi couldn't have tried to kill Van." Usagi crossed her arms, feeling pretty confident in her evidence.  
  
"This proves nothing." Eries said.  
  
"That's right, besides there isn't any such technology that would allow pictures to come out this good." Dryden added, though he knew better.  
  
"Not on Gaea, but on the Mystic Moon there is." Ami explained.  
  
"We'll go with that answer." Dryden said, he noticed Allen staring hard at Link.  
  
"Why aren't you surprised? Have you seen this picture before?" Allen asked, noticing that Link seemed rather uninterested in the color image.  
  
"Uh," Hitomi managed to think of something to save herself again, "yes, I have seen it before, however I can not let myself be distracted all the time. Once was enough for me!" Hitomi did a half laugh, remembering that she shouldn't sound embarrassed over it.  
  
"Well, that's good. As Van's body guard you shouldn't let yourself get distracted, Hitomi." A voice called throughout the room.  
  
Usagi's eyes widened. "That voice . . I know that voice." She said nervously, Ami immediately got on her guard, as did everyone else.  
  
"So glad you recognize me, Sailor Moon." He called. Rubeus made himself appear, floating above the table.  
  
"Rubeus! But you're supposed to be dead!" She yelled.  
  
"Hitomi?" Millerna whispered. Indeed, Hitomi felt that what security she had left slip away.  
  
Allen reached across and managed to pull off the fake mustache. "It is you!" Sudden gasps could be heard in the room.  
  
"Ha! Your friend's disguise probably helped her hide from you, but she could not hide from my new master."  
  
"Your new master? Is this supposed to be an improvement upon Wiseman? We won't let you have Hitomi!" Usagi shouted. She and Ami jumped in front of Hitomi, spreading their arms to block Hitomi from Rubeus.  
  
"All right, have it your way." With a snap of his fingers the two Senshi were encased inside an orb. Usagi tried banging on the walls, but it was just hard and cold as a sheet of ice. Ami proposed they transform, but Rubeus answered that for them.  
  
"You can try all you like to get out, Sailor Soldiers. You can't escape and you can't transform." Rubeus snapped his fingers again and the orb containing the two Senshi disappeared.  
  
"Where did you take them?!" Hitomi was more angry than she had ever been in her life.  
  
"It's none of your business where I took them, the only thing you have to worry about is whether they will live or not." He was enjoying seeing someone so helpless as Hitomi so frustrated. "If you want to see those silly wimps again you'll surrender yourself."  
  
"I don't think so!" Van unsheathed his sword and was on the table and in the air faster than America Online signs on! About when the tip of his sword reached Rubeus, he sent an energy blast at the young King, which sent him crashing down onto the table.  
  
"Van!" Hitomi tried to help him, but Allen, Millerna, and even Chid cut her off, still viewing her as a threat.  
  
"By dawn Ultra Bob will come for you. Giving up now would just make things easier." He laughed at her pathetic look. Then he disappeared.  
  
Hitomi was feeling more alone and helpless than before. Then she saw Luna and Setsuna.  
  
"They're gone aren't they?" Luna asked. Hitomi offered a solemn nod.  
  
"We'll get them back Luna. Hitomi," the guardian of time addressed the girl, "do not give yourself up to the enemy. If they have you we may not be able to stop them, especially since they hold Sailor Moon." Hitomi only nodded.  
  
"Save this traitor?" Eries asked.  
  
"She is innocent, I assure you. You see, I was the one who talked her and Sailor Moon and Mercury into coming here in the first place."  
  
"Sailor Moon?" Chid asked.  
  
"She is just about as well known on the Mystic Moon for her deeds as Hitomi is to you. Trust her. Luna and I must be off to plan a counter attack with the other Senshi." In a matter of mere seconds Setsuna was Sailor Pluto, she held Luna and the Door of Time opened. She walked through and it disappeared.  
  
"Should we believe her?" Allen asked, with a hint of sympathy in his eyes. Folken looked too shaken up from what happened earlier.  
  
"I suppose, or would you rather just execute me?" Hitomi said coolly.  
  
"All right, we'll give you a chance."  
  
Hitomi brightened a little. "Thanks."  
  
  
  
***  
  
End of Chapter 6! What a chapter that was! I'll tell ya what, Rubeus entering this story wasn't even on my mind until I recently dug out my old SM tapes from when I recorded a bunch on Cartoon Network and re-watched them all in a three day long period. I missed the crappy dub! Anyway, enough of that. In the next chapter Ultra Bob will change his plans a little. Something will happen that will hold Setsuna up. Yeah, if you haven't seen Lilo and Stitch yet, go see it! It's a good movie!  
  
STC 


	7. Happy Halloween, Sincerely (Ultra) Bob

ETERNITY BREAKS II  
  
AN: I'm surprised that Eternity Breaks has lasted this long. Just the story in general. It even has a plot! I can sum up all my joy and gratitude for all that has come together in my story in only a few words...OH MY GOD! In all seriousness, I thank all that reviewed and actually find my story entertaining. Of course it's just my story, the characters don't belong to me. But you already knew that, some of the companies know that too, and will look for any excuse to sue me.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne or Sailor Moon.  
  
  
Chapter Seven: Happy Halloween, Sincerely (Ultra) Bob  
  
  
"I just . . . can't believe. . ." Millerna couldn't search for the right words to describe her shock. Hitomi had thrown down the sword, coat, and other such loose articles of clothing. Although Hitomi had done nothing wrong she felt guilty, and Allen was quick to judge her for it.  
  
"I can't believe you!" He shouted at her. She held her head down and kept her eyes closed. She didn't want to look at them, she couldn't face them.  
  
"Allen, leave her alone! You heard earlier, that it wasn't her fault!" Van yelled back. When Hitomi did open her eyes again, she saw Chid and how terribly frightened he was when she looked at him. They had gotten along so well before, but despite the fact that her name had been cleared by Van, her presence as herself frightened and angered everyone in the room.  
  
"You know . . ." Hitomi began, "I saw a scene kinda like this in a horror movie once."  
  
"What's a movie?" Dryden asked.  
  
"It's a story with moving pictures." She explained. "Anyway, the guys all blamed this one person for all the bad things that happened and then the monster came out and killed them all, including the person who later turned out to innocent the entire time."  
  
"But no one got killed in this case." Folken said.  
  
"No, but two people got kidnapped." Allen accused.  
  
"Ok," Hitomi sat down, "you have every right to be angry with me, but you know what, this wasn't my fault!" Although Hitomi could be quite docile and willing to accept most thoughts shared, there was still some things that needed to be cleared up at this moment, and no other. And Hitomi intended to do that.  
  
Allen's face seemed to change expressions. He waited for Hitomi to say something more, to defend herself with any evidence present.  
  
" . . . but whenever someone wants to do me harm my friends are the ones that pay." She murmured.  
  
"We will help them." Allen said.  
  
Everyone in the room seemed to stop breathing.  
  
"You? Help?" Millerna asked.  
  
"Yes, yes. It's too silly to think that someone like Hitomi could actually try to kill someone." He explained, for a second there it seemed like an insult to Hitomi, but he was right. "She just proved it now. Although war can take its toll on a peoples mental health, if Hitomi really were a crazed maniac she would have already killed Van instead of going through all this."  
  
"Boo ya! My name's cleared!" Hitomi shouted.  
  
"Well, sort of." Millerna was now speaking. "We know you didn't do it, but try convincing the rest of Asturia that, including my father."  
  
Eries was silent the whole way through the ordeal.  
  
"Do you have something to say about this, Sister?" Millerna asked.  
  
Eries calmly stood up and prepared to speak. "How do you plan to help your friends exactly?"  
  
"That's easy." Answered Hitomi. "I'm going to give myself up!"  
  
"Oh God, she's insane. . ." Allen muttered.  
  
  
  
  
In the lair of the . . . Undead!  
  
Ami and Usagi were beyond bored. They were trapped within a sphere still, and had run out of things to do to pass the time while waiting to be rescued. They seemed caught up in the corner of a very dark room, or so it seemed. They had tried to break the glass several times but to no avail. Ultra Bob was supposed to see them shortly, Rubeus had told them.   
  
There was only a faint bit of light, several feet below them that let them know that they were not at ground level. Now and then, they could see the sillouets of demons and other monstrous figures run by. The whole experience was frightening for about five minutes.  
  
"Hey, Ami." Usagi whispered.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Maybe we should think of a plan of escape."  
  
"That's what I've been doing for the past half hour."  
  
"It's only been that long?" Usagi panicked.  
  
"Yes, it has."   
  
"I'm going to die of boredom!" She squealed, before resting against the glass like surface.  
  
"Oh, you are not! Just sing 99 cans of Dr. Pepper on the wall, or something. I'll let you know when I've come up with a plan!" Ami hissed.  
  
"Ok . . ."  
  
Usagi then started humming the theme to Spider-Man.  
  
Ami became instantly frustraighted. "Usagi, stop that. It's hard to think when you're making that noise." She whispered harshly.  
  
"In my defense you suggested I sing." Usagi retorted.  
  
"I know. I can't believe my minds' slipped that much." Ami had hinted the sound of despair.  
  
"Don't beat yourself up over it." Usagi comforted. "I know that someone, somewhere will come to our aid!" She so boldly finished.  
  
"You said that when we first got here." Ami reminded her.  
  
"Oh. Well, no matter I still remain confident that either Hitomi or Sailor Pluto will help us out!"  
  
  
  
  
On Earth . . .  
  
A dark cloud fell on the lovely city that was Tokyo. Terrible creatures appeared out of nowhere and began attacking people at random.  
  
"Where's Sailor Moon?!" Mars shouted.  
  
"We don't know!" Venus answered back. She was helping Jupiter beat the snot out of this strange and unknown foe.  
  
"How about Sailor Mercury, I'd like to know how to stop these things from reappearing!" Jupiter and Venus ended up fighting about four at once. If it wasn't for the claws, the teeth, and the fact that it took ten minutes to get one of those ugly little creatures on the ground this battle wouldn't have been so bad.  
  
"We can't find her either." Said a clam voice. They turned to see the face of Sailor Neptune. Uranus, Saturn, and Pluto were with them.  
  
"I can tell you where they are." Pluto began. "They were captured and being held somewhere until a certain girl gives herself up."  
  
"Captured? By who?" Jupiter asked.  
  
"Rubeus. Acting on the whim of another. He was promised revenge if he sealed a trap for that girl. This is part of the revenge, these creatures." She pointed to the gathering masses. "I was supposed to help organize a counter attack against the being behind all this, but as you can see Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury will have to be on their own for now. I just hope they hold out."  
  
  
  
Back to Usagi and Ami . . .  
  
"Eighty-eight cans of Dr. Pepper on the wall, eighty-eight cans . . . you take one down and pass it around, eighty-seven cans of Dr. Pepper on the wall..." Usagi and Ami finished there. They sat in silence for several minutes.  
  
"This is what we've been reduced to." Usagi said.  
  
"Yep."  
  
Then, all went silent. A black figure materialized (wow, this sounds original) before them.  
  
"Hello ladies." Ultra Bob said.  
  
"Hey, whoever you are." Usagi spoke nervously.  
  
"Call me, Ultra Bob. Your friend already knows of me." Usagi glanced at Ami briefly.  
  
"I have a little job for the both of you."  
  
"Oh?" They both sounded as enthusiastic as a prisoner could get.  
  
"You two are going to be bait for that girl from the Mystic Moon." He laughed with delight when he saw their expression drop.  
  
"Hey, that's a title, don't you think you should capitalize it?" Ami snapped.  
  
"Oh yes, sorry. The Girl from the Mystic Moon." He waited a moment or so to let the new one sink in. "Better?"  
  
Both Usagi and Ami nodded in approval.  
  
His dark grin brightened when his grin showed more teeth.  
  
"Wow, you must have some dental plan." Usagi commented.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Oh, you're welcome!" Usagi replied.  
  
"Hey, you guys are going to be used for my most evil and sinister plan to capture your friend, in which I kill her to gain the ultimate power of Atlantis, which wasn't supposed to be revealed until Chapter Eight, and then kill you! Why are you not comfortable with that?"  
  
Usagi looked at Ami for an explanation. "Oh, you see, we aren't happy with that at all. That's why we've changed subjects on you." Usagi nodded.  
  
"Twice in fact." Usagi informed him.  
  
"So you see, we would be much happier if we were out of here not being planned as bait for your most evil and sinister plan." Ami explained.  
  
"Oh." A long period of awkward silence followed. "You guys are going to be hung out. NOW!" The orb that held the two girls captive disappeared.  
  
"It's time to extend my invitation to the ultimate haunted house party!" Then Ultra Bob disappeared with it.  
  
  
  
  
Back in Merry ol' . . . Asturia!  
  
Hitomi had gone to change back into her school uniform. Van, Folken, Allen and all the other gentlemen waited back in the dining room. Millerna and Eries waited outside the door.  
  
When Hitomi emerged they grabbed her and threw a blanket over her head, Millerna took the bag and they walked back to the dining room. Hitomi sat opposite of Millerna at the table. Everyone else was standing.  
  
"Gee, thanks for the protection." She said in a very sarcastic tone.  
  
"Well, you wanted to get out of your disguise." Millerna retorted.  
  
"The disguise failed, and you fell in love with it."  
  
"Oh, you'll regret that!" They both got up at that time and sensing danger in the air, Van restrained Hitomi and Allen restrained Millerna.  
  
"Hey, calm down." Allen told them. "Don't forget, we need to find a way to free Hitomi's friends."  
  
At that time, Ultra Bob decided to enter the room, or rather an image of himself, about 10 feet above the table.  
  
"What a lovely room." It said. "Well, you are saved, so to speak." He was talking directly to Hitomi.  
  
"What do you mean by that?" She asked.  
  
"There's been a slight change in plans. You will come to find your friends, prove to them your strength and loyalty." Ultra Bob said.  
  
"Eh?"  
  
"Oh, geez." He cursed and a small piece of paper fluttered down from the image. "Just follow the directions if you want them to live, got that!?"  
  
"Yes. . ."  
  
"Good!" In a puff of Hollywood smoke, the image was gone.  
  
"Hitomi, what does it say?" Allen asked.  
  
"It has directions on how to get to a house, I guess." She said.  
  
"What house?" Folken asked.  
  
"Riptide Manor."  
  
There were suddenly several gasps in the room.  
  
"Ok, is this a haunted house or something?"  
  
"It's cursed, or so they say. That the souls of all that died in there shall haunt it for all eternity." Dryden explained. Hitomi glanced around at everyone in the room, then down at the little piece of paper.  
  
"So, it is haunted."  
  
"You don't really believe in haunted houses, do you Hitomi?" Chid looked up at her with hopeful eyes.  
  
"Well, it could be worse and I can't just leave them."  
  
"This sounds too much like a trap." Van said, going into over-protective-Hitomi mode.  
  
"How many other choices do we have?"  
  
"All right, but you do realize you can't go alone." Van told her.  
  
"I know that, I also know I need someone to help me find the stupid house." She pointed to all the directions she assumed were how to get to the house, but were written in Gaean text, which she couldn't really read.  
  
"All right, this can be like going to find Atlantis!" Dryden said, and so the group (now including Chid and Eries) started planning their trip.  
  
***  
  
Haha! The evil chapter 7 is finally finished. I rewrote this thing a few times, because I initially forgot what I wanted to include in the first place. Well, in the next chapter it shall tell a little bit of the journey too the haunted house, what's going on back on Earth, and have Ami and Usagi managed to drive the other insane yet!  
  
STC 


	8. Once Upon a Haunted House

ETERNITY BREAKS II  
  
AN: It's a lovely day indeed! Right now it is, anyway. A special thanks goes out to Myst Lady, Rona, Brandy, and Lynne-chan, who are still reading this story and sticking by me. I appreciate the support! Also thanks to MercuryDestiny who didn't have to come read and review this fic, but did anyway! Domo arigatou!  
  
Disclaimer: I am not Shoji Kawamori (met him though) and I am not Naoko Takeuchi (I will storm her house and get her autograph eventually! or maybe she'll just come to Anime Expo.) Therefore I doth not own Sailor Moon or Escaflowne!  
  
***  
  
Chapter Eight: Once Upon a Haunted House  
  
  
A battle raged on. So much so that the Sailor Senshi had to figure out a way to kill the beasts off quickly so that they could just take turns killing while the others took a brief break. Sailor Venus discovered that if you aim at any joint, the thing dies practically instantly. It was a bloody miracle! The Senshi took five minute breaks while the others hacked away at the enemy.  
  
Sailor Pluto could still do nothing for those on Gaea. The enemy kept coming back leaving no real room to go for a quick rescue mission. Rubeus began to notice how they would tire, some would rest while the others picked up again. It was useless, they would all become to tired to carry on and when that happened he would deliver the final blow! Fed Ex style!  
  
He would wait, he decided to let his new master take care of Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury. Eventually, this world (and the other one) would die off. It was their fate, Ultra Bob was just helping it along.  
  
  
  
  
On Gaea -  
  
Outside, they were packing the Cursade with all sorts of supplies, clothing, and anything else they'd need for traveling. Hitomi was going through an inner debate as to whether or not she should listen to her CDs should she get bored on the way. Remembering that she was going to save two lives she pushed it aside and decided to mentally prepare for this trip.  
  
"Are you ready, Hitomi?" Van asked.  
  
She was caught by the question, "y-yes."  
  
"Ok, come on then we're leaving."  
  
It had turned out that Riptide Mansion was on a lovely beach side some hundred miles from Palas. Hitomi thought that if Ami had been with them, she would have gone on about how "riptide" is not a true name for the currents that rip people out to sea. Tides come in and out, and yes there was a tragedy seen when the tide did come in, but the "rip tides" people talk about are really currents. The way to get out of them is to swim parallel to the shore until you feel the pressure leave you, then swim back. Ami had told Hitomi and Usagi that when they stopped by Yokohama for a quick lunch break before touring the rest of the area. Hitomi was thankful that neither she nor Van ever got caught in that sort of situation. She wondered if Van would know to do the same. He did know a lot about survival in the worst situations.  
  
At this very moment Van was concerned that Hitomi was walking blindly into a trap. He watched as she looked out onto the land below them. Millerna, Eries, and Chid were talking about how much Fried had improved since the end of the war.  
  
"Everyone's playing catch-up, it seems." Van said, taking a seat opposite Hitomi.  
  
"It's a popular game, now a days." She said blankly, still partly out there.  
  
"What are you thinking about, Hitomi?" Van questioned.  
  
Hitomi sighed. What was she thinking about? Oh yes, her friends of course. What a stupid question! But then again, her mind had wandered. She was back on Gaea with her friends and Van. "Nothing much, Van." She knew, by the way it took her a few seconds to answer, that Van very well knew.  
  
"We'll get them back." Van reassured her.  
  
"I hope Merle, Naria, and Eriya are fairing well back home." Folken had crept in beside them.  
  
"Me too." Van managed to say.  
  
"Don't worry about that, I told Merle before we left to Palas, no wild parties." Hitomi was still in her own world a bit when she said that.  
  
"Err, what does that mean?" Van had a worried expression on his face.  
  
"Van, I was just kidding." Hitomi smiled.  
  
"I hope Ami's doing all right." Folken said aloud, completely forgetting that Van and Hitomi were right beside him.  
  
"I hope they're ok too, Folken." Hitomi said with a devious grin.  
  
"Yes..er," Folken had completely forgotten about the other girl. Whatshername. He was wrapped up in how Ami was doing! He had been like that since she was kidnapped, although he tried not to show it. "Ok...you didn't hear that!" Folken said quickly.  
  
"Hear what? That even though you still like Ami you wouldn't have admitted in front of her?" Van teased.  
  
"Now, Van, you're just being mean." Folken told him.  
  
"We're sorry, Folken. It's sweet that you still care for Ami-chan. Although Naria and Eriya are ok with Ami now, I wonder how they'll react if you two ever got married or something." Hitomi said quietly, so no one but the three of them at least could hear.  
  
"We are officially changing the subject." Folken muttered.  
  
"To what?" Hitomi asked, Van listened.  
  
"I don't know, what's life like on the Mystic Moon?" He asked.  
  
Hitomi was stumped. How do you sum up life on any planet? "Er, I guess it's all good, depending on where you live . . ." Hitomi trailed off.  
  
"I guess so." Folken agreed.  
  
"Are we there yet?" Hitomi asked.  
  
"You're even more childish than Van." Folken commented. Van scowled.  
  
"Well, they are in danger and getting there as fast as possible would be a big help." Hitomi said.  
  
"Yes, but they would expect that." Folken said.  
  
"Everyone expects that! Just be quiet for the rest of the trip!" Van yelled. "Both of you." He said before either Hitomi or Folken could utter another word.  
  
On the way there, Dryden had been cooking up a plan of strategy. Van was helping. Another hour passed and Hitomi was getting edgy. Finally Allen gave the order to heat the levi-stones. The Crusade descended swiftly, but steadily. The massive Asturian ship landed and docked approximently 200 yards from a rotting picket fence. Within the yard that lay just beyond the standing, festering pile of wood was a graveyard. Old stones, covered in alkali and moss. Some head stones stood perfectly straight, others looked like they might fall over, and some were quite worn down from the weather. All were firmly planted in the ground, surrounded by 5 inch grass. A cobblestone path lead the way to the front door of a house, that was in no better condition than the cemetery or fence.  
  
The company approached the rickety fence cautiously. They traveled as lightly as possible. Hitomi left her duffel bag on the ship, and the men brought swords. Eries and Dryden stayed behind to keep an eye on things.  
  
"That looks warm and inviting. ." Gades said. There were several gulps from the other crew members of the Crusade.  
  
Although the house itself had the look of fright, Allen reasoned in his head that he did not need this many men with him right now, and surely Millerna would be happier staying on the ship and for Hitomi it would be safer. "With the exception of Gades, you men return to the ship and be prepared to take off on a moments notice!" Allen ordered.  
  
"Sir!" Erupted a crowd of some very happy soldiers.  
  
"Princess, perhaps it would be best if you returned as well." Allen told her.  
  
"No, I'm sticking this out with you and Hitomi. That's why I brought my bag, just in case you need me." Millerna reasoned.  
  
"She'll be fine, Allen." Folken said in a calm tone. "We're all here, nothing can go wrong."  
  
'It doesn't mean things will go wrong.' Hitomi thought bitterly. 'There's no such thing as ghosts and zombies! Even with Ultra Bob there, nothing can harm us . . . Unless that floor in the house is non-existent and we fall through.' Hitomi started walking toward the house again. She was on a good pace, then something abruptly stopped her.  
  
Van let go of her shoulder. "Hitomi, stay with me." She nodded in response. " . . . And take this." Van gave her back the sword she had earlier. "Use this should something happen to me." Van seemed no longer confident of his abilities to protect her, but he wanted to make sure nothing would happen to her. After the incident with Escaflowne being cut to shreds, Van had learned to be twice as good as his enemies with a sword, but his last fight with Bob (way back when in the first story) suggested that caution be put first, even for him.  
  
Hitomi saw Millerna was given a dagger. 'If they are dead warriors beyond that gate, how's a sword supposed to stop them? They're already dead.' She pushed that thought aside and they continued walking to the house.  
  
The area they were in was densely forested. The trees seemed to block out the daylight, and knowing day wouldn't last much longer it would be even harder to see at night and that house didn't appear to have any light in it at all.  
  
Allen was the first at the gate, which was just hanging by the upper hinge now. A slight gust came up, scattering leaves on the ground, rustling the branches of the trees. The rusted hinge screeched, and the gate moved slightly. Allen picked the gate open, it snapped off its hinge and the knight simply tossed the few pieces of wood out of the way and proceeded into the yard. The little graveyard now appeared much larger than it did from a distance. The little company proceeded single file on the path, Allen leading and Gades bringing up the tail.  
  
  
  
  
A pair of eyes watched from the darkness. They blinked a couple times, but kept watch on the little company.  
  
"I can't believe they actually brought weapons!" Ultra Bob laughed. "It's too funny!" He broke out in giggles. Ami and Usagi looked at each other, with one single though passing between them.  
  
"We're doomed..." They mumbled.  
  
"Oh, what was that my little hostages?" Bob called.  
  
Usagi gaped. "Did you just call us sausages?"  
  
"No, Usagi-chan. He called us hostages. As in he's holding us here as a bargaining chip." Ami explained.  
  
"Yes, that's right." The dark beast came up to them. "And do you know what happens to most hostages?"  
  
Usagi gulped.  
  
"Yes, they die! When this is over that power happy Rubeus will kill you both off!" He laughed a deep dark laugh as the two trapped Senshi wore the look of despair.  
  
  
  
  
"On Earth things weren't going as well either. The beats the Sailor Soldiers were fighting have come faster and stronger this time allowing for almost no breaks for a rest. Sailor Venus had this to say . ." A reporter motioned for them to go to the tape.  
  
A monstrous creature was about to leap on Venus, Sailor Pluto managed to knock it down.  
  
"This is nuts!" Venus cried.  
  
The camera came back to the anchor man, "Now for a commercial from our sponsor."  
  
  
  
  
Back on Gaea, however, things were progressing very slowly. It was late afternoon and it began darken, even more so. They all had entered the yard, they stood silently, surveying the area around them. No sooner was Allen about to say something than the ground began to shake. Allen and Van instinctively drew their swords. The ground shaking seemed unnatural, even to Hitomi who grew up in one of the world's most prone earthquake zone.  
  
Simultaneously two hands on either side of Hitomi burst through the crust and latched onto her ankles, causing her to fall backwards onto Folken, who caught her before she hit the ground. She yelped in right, and struggled to free herself. Suddenly the plan of staying single file on the path was disbanded as Allen, Van, and the others jumped to avoid the zombies coming forth.  
  
Folken unsheathed his sword and cut the firmly attached hands off. While this freed Hitomi from the grasping Zombies, the dead hands were still keeping their grip. She was thankful she was wearing socks. Folken set her down gently and began to prey one off and Hitomi began to get the other hand off.  
  
"Oh, this is too gross..." She said, when the Zombie on her left reclaimed it's hand from Hitomi. Folken succeeded on his end and the two sprinted forth.  
  
"Too the house! Quickly!" Allen shouted.  
  
Van caught up with his brother and Hitomi, Allen had Millerna with him and Gades once again defended the back side. The three ahead were stopped by a wall of zombies. Immediately, Van and Allen began cutting 'em down. The pieces that fell twitched, and the whole scene was not only terrifying, but sickening. A head fell at Hitomi's feet, and she jumped back a bit. At that point another zombie came up from behind and grabbed her over the shoulder and around her waist. Hitomi dropped the sword with a kind of clang on the ground, though the blade was still hidden beneath its sheath. She grabbed the two arms and tried to force them off, but they held on tight. Gades came to her aid this time, lopping off the zombies head. The dead body let go and went for its head.  
  
"We have a break, let's go!" Folken yelled. Gades gave Hitomi back her sword and they darted in the front door. Van kept it open, everyone rushed in. As soon as the last person was clear, he shut and barricaded the door.  
  
The small company rested a bit. Hitomi especially, who was catching her breath and getting over the shock. The house was huge, dark, and covered in spider webs.  
  
"Well, we made it into the house ok." Hitomi said at last, they looked around for something to light their way ahead.  
  
"And somewhere in this house Ami and," Folken forgot Usagi's name again. He paused to try and remember it.  
  
"Usagi." Hitomi finished.  
  
"Yes, Usagi, are trapped somewhere in this house."  
  
"Riptide Mansion...I can't believe it's this far from the shoreline." Van commented.  
  
"Which is only a hundred yards in the other direction from the Crusade." Millerna said.  
  
"We need to find a light source." Van said. He began looking and feeling around for some sort of torch. He picked apart an old rotting chair leg and wrapped part of an old sheet around it. "There."  
  
"Yeah, now all we need is a lit torch to light this one." Allen commented.  
  
"Let's see you come up with something then!" Van retorted.  
  
"Don't worry, I've got you covered." Hitomi told him, and pulled out a lighter from her pocket. She flipped the lid and there was light.  
  
"That's even more effective than Van's plan." Gades said. Hitomi went over and lit the fabric. In seconds the torch eliminated and Hitomi closed the lighter.  
  
"What was that?" Millerna asked.  
  
"What was what?" Hitomi asked, thinking that Millerna was referring to something else. "Oh, this. It's called a lighter. It's mostly used for lighting up cigarettes and other things people smoke."   
  
Van's eyes widened. "You smoke?"  
  
"No, I use it to light fires on camping trips and such. I forgot I had it in my pocket." She explained.  
  
Allen worked on making his own torch and lit it on Van's. "All right, there are six of us. I think we should split up to cover more ground." He announced.  
  
"Are you insane?" Millerna yelled.  
  
"Calm down, there are six of us here. We'll go in pairs. You ladies have weapons of your own and don't worry, the zombies are outside." Hitomi and Millerna looked through the windows to see a few zombies still milling about.  
  
"Oh, that's so creepy." Hitomi averted her eyes in order to stay focused.  
  
"But that.." Millerna stammered, "defeats the purpose of me being here. If we stay in a group, we would be safer and I could attend to anyone who got injured quickly. . ."  
  
"There are three floors to this house, it looks like, plus an attic. Van, you and your brother will search the first floor." Allen told him.  
  
"That's crazy, I have to stay with Hitomi to protect her." Van yelled.  
  
Allen continued, "Hitomi, you and Millerna will search the second floor. Gades and myself will search the third. When you are done, meet use in the attic."  
  
"Are you sure about this?" Gades asked.  
  
"Yes, I know leaving Hitomi without a man to protect her is risky. Millerna too, but I think Hitomi can handle it herself. Does anyone have anything further to say?" Allen asked.  
  
"I do." Hitomi said. "Although I find the whole idea of a man protecting me really annoying. It's like you're saying girls can't defend themselves even if they tried." Allen, Van, Folken, and Gades were silent. "But," she continued, "you do realize I have no idea how to really fight with a sword, much less defend myself with it."  
  
Allen nodded. "On that whole man always protecting a woman thing, you did show that thing who was boss the first time when it struck down Van and Folken, didn't you?"  
  
"Er, yes... but I had a distraction." She explained.  
  
"You two sound more than capable to handle the second floor, and don't worry we'll be protecting you on the way up, and we'll be down to help you as soon as we hear trouble." Allen reassured her.  
  
"We'll move as a group to the staircase then, and from there break off." Folken said, and they did. They moved through the huge hall to the stairs that lay before them against the wall. Old paintings hung on the wall. Most were so covered in dust the picture was hard to see. Others that were visible only seemed to portray death.   
  
As they broke off and four ascended, Van spoke.  
  
"We'll finish quickly with this floor and be up there to help you soon, Hitomi." Van said quietly. Hitomi nodded and they continued their way up the creaking staircase.  
  
***  
  
End of Chapter 8! Wasn't that just fascinating? I've been busy adding all sorts of twists and turns in this story. I forgot that the whole thing started off in Tokyo. I just throw in whatever I think would be fun, it's what helps keep my interest and keeps me writing. Anyhoo, I'm quite slow when it comes to updating this story. School starts on the 19. How fun... So, hopefully Chapter 9 will be out before then. Ja 'til later me happy crossover people!  
  
STC 


	9. The Incredibly Stupid Stupendous Acciden...

ETERNITY BREAKS II  
  
AN: The beginning of my final year in high school is at hand. Yeah, nobody cares, school is a dreadful place to be. Anyhoo, I'm busy scouting out a job and changing positions at the hospital volunteer guild. So as I attend to reality, this story will be jumping around from place to place as I begin to detail this haunted house.   
  
Disclaimer: I don't own a thing.  
  
***  
  
Chapter Nine: The Incredibly Stupid, Stupendous Accident!  
  
The hour grew late. Van had an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach as he searched all the rooms on the first floor. Everything was eerily dark and most frightening. For what lay around the next corner Van did not know and he feared not knowing.  
  
Folken was just as nervous as Van. He kept one hand on the hilt of his sword while the other firmly held the torch. They turned a dark corner into a room where all that was visible were a few lamps and something covered in a sheet...  
  
Both brothers stopped in the doorway and took a deep breath before proceeding. Folken took a step forward, the board under his boot creaked with the weight being placed on it. Suddenly, to their right, they heard glass shatter.   
  
A lamp had fallen to the ground, broken in several pieces. They glanced up to see what could have knocked it over, and what they saw was terribly frightening. A ghost, or what it appeared to be had knocked the lamp off its resting spot on a table. Suddenly, cloth was at their feet, and what was underneath that white sheet reveled. It was nothing more than a grand piano. The ghost, being pale and transparent took a seat upon the bench and thumbed through a music book. He began to play a most haunting melody. After a few measures the ghost stopped and looked straight at the brothers.  
  
The ghost was gaunt in it's human appearance, with nothing but black abyss for eyes. The ghost's gaze pierced right through them. They let out a terrible scream and ran up the stairs to find the girls. Upon exiting the room, Folken dropped the torch within his haste to escape.  
  
The ghost turned back to the dusty piano. "I just wanted to ask them if they had any special request..." it said before fading out.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Hitomi and Millerna searched a couple rooms on that second floor, quite thourouly. Mostly to ensure that no surprises would find them. The only light was Hitomi's lighter, which of course was limited to the amount a torch could have lit up. It was in one of the guest bedrooms they were searching under the beds, closets, and desk.  
  
"Do you suppose we'll ever have to fight?" Millerna asked.  
  
"I hope not. This place is scary enough." Hitomi said, sneaking up to the curtains as quietly as possible.  
  
"What are you doing?" The princess asked.  
  
"Well, I..." Hitomi stopped and walked normally to the curtains. Millerna laughed a bit. "One of those would be worth a lot of money right now." Hitomi whispered. As she reached out for the curtain, she suddenly recoiled.  
  
"What is it?" Millerna whispered, suddenly feeling danger nearby.  
  
"There are footsteps in the hall." Hitomi answered back.  
  
Millerna reasoned, "it could be Van or Allen."  
  
"Or a zombie." Hitomi added. Millerna chose not to argue. In the room before they looked out the window to the yard below and still saw the zombies milling about. For all they knew, some could have gotten in.   
  
They snuck up quietly to the door. Hitomi, who didn't want to take any chances, drew her sword (without any problem) and stayed poised behind the huge door.  
  
Millerna gently put her hand on the knob. The footsteps crept closer and closer. When they could hear them just outside the door, Millerna flung the door open as Van pushed on it. Van and Folken nearly fell over each other. Hitomi was about to strike Van down. There were gasps of relief.  
  
"What were you doing?!" Van yelled at Hitomi.  
  
"I thought you were a zombie!" She yelled back.  
  
"Oh." The King uttered.  
  
"Well, it's nice to see you too." Folken commented.  
  
"What happened to you guys? It looks as if you've seen a ghost." Hitomi said.  
  
"That's exactly what happened." Van answered.  
  
They paused a moment. Hitomi then asked, "so, you didn't finish looking downstairs?"  
  
"We saw the most horrifying being in and around this house, and that's all you have to say?! How many rooms up here have you searched?" Van snapped.  
  
"About three. This is the third room." Millerna said.  
  
"All right, let's do a clean sweep and meet Allen upstairs." Folken told them. With everyone in agreement, they bolted down the halls of the second floor checking each room, unaware of the fire downstairs.  
  
  
  
  
"Are you sure it was a good idea to split up the groups like this?" Gaddes asked, picking up the lid of a trunk.  
  
"I'm sure, besides, as clever a trap as it is, the creature that wants Hitomi is still fearful of coming out for a total confrontation." Allen explained. They had finished with the third floor and were already working on the attic. They heard a rush of footsteps running up the attic stairs. Allen and Gaddes got into battle position, they were about to attack when Hitomi and Van shoved their way through the doorway closely followed by Millerna and Folken.  
  
"Oh not again." Folken said aloud.  
  
Allen and Gaddes put their swords away. Van had this incredible feeling of Deja vu. Hitomi wanted to throw her sword to the ground again, and Millerna just wanted to go back to Asturia!  
  
  
  
  
  
In the darkness, two Sailor Senshi still wait to be rescued.  
  
"Ami, do you think they're coming?" Usagi asked.  
  
Ami just sat there.  
  
"Ami-chan?" Usagi asked again, still nothing. The Odango one sat down with a "humph!" It was so dark she could hardly see anything at all. About that time, she felt something on her shoulder.  
  
"Gonna get'cha!" Ami suddenly yelled, Usagi jumped away, and slid back down their circular prison wall. Ami was laughing quite hard.  
  
"All this darkness and isolation really isn't good for Ami-chan." Usagi told herself.  
  
"Perhaps . . ." Bob said. He was enjoying the show, evident of his toothy grin.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Let's just get out! I don't think they're here, it was probably some stupid trick to buy him time so he can get us later when we least expect it!" Hitomi blurted out, quite unexpectedly.  
  
The others nodded in response. The house was quite empty. As they reached the door a familiar, but alarming scent reached them. SMOKE!  
  
"Is the house on fire?" Allen whispered. He opened the door, and far below flames were lapping at their only way of escape. He then closed the door. "The house is on fire." Allen confirmed.  
  
"Van!" Folken yelled. "So, that's what you did with the torch!"  
  
"I didn't see you acting calm either," Van said in his defense.  
  
"Hey!" Millerna yelled. "Shouldn't our priority be finding a way to escape, not who dun it?"  
  
Needless to say, Millerna made so much sense that no one could argue any point at all. Not even the author, so they looked for a way of escape. So suddenly did they decide to make a rope out of cloth and hang it out the window in order to get out. A very classic escape plane and at the time the only way to get out of the house. With little time on their side, they had barely finished when fire burst through the attic door. Van and Folken though they would have to fly everyone to safety. On the outside, flying seemed more practical, but there were more people there than they could carry at once and two trips didn't seem likely. Though the largest reason of them all was the fact that they were still viewed as cursed beings and that flying to safety could be an even bigger risk if anyone were to see them.  
  
It was times like these that Van wished he hadn't put Escaflowne to sleep - for good. Just as Allen secured the rope the house suddenly disappeared, in a puff of smoke, if anything else. Along with the graveyard and zombies. They were all safely on the ground again, feeling a bit disoriented.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Oh, dash it all!" Ultra Bob cursed. His spell of Riptide Manor had worn off when the every heart of the house's spell burned. The two Senshi were quite happy to see their friends escape.  
  
"Now I fear I shall have to face them personally. Where is Rubeus?" He asked.  
  
Rubeus appeared. "You called?"  
  
"Yes, my plan has back fired. That Van guy burned my house down." Ultra Bob explained.  
  
"Oh, that's always a shame when that happens. Did you have insurance?"  
  
"Rubeus. . . It was a spell." He growled. "Anyway, I'll have to take care of this matter personally. You may finish off Sailor Mercury and Sailor . . ." Bob trailed off.  
  
"Moon?!" Usagi snapped.  
  
"Yes, Sailor Moon."  
  
"I can't believe it. Everyone knows me a hundred times better than any other Senshi, and he remembers your name before mine." She complained.  
  
"That's just because he met me first."  
  
"Oh yeah, that's always the excuse." Usagi said.  
  
"Well, if it makes you feel better, we're both going to be killed off regardless of who we are."  
  
"I thought it was because of exactly who we were that Rubeus was going to kill us." Usagi told her.  
  
"Yes, well it won't really matter after we're dead, now will it?" It was at that time they noticed Ultra Bob and Rubeus were watching.  
  
"What?!" They said in unison.  
  
"Nothing, I just think it's very funny that you two carry on these conversations like it was just another day." Bob said.  
  
"Master, they may yet be useful alive. Bring the Girl here, to them. Make her surrender herself." Rubeus told him.  
  
Ultra Bob pondered this for a moment. "How about humiliation?"  
  
"That works."  
  
"I like it! I will bring that Girl here. She better enjoy the sunlight while she can, it'll be the last time she'll see any of it."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Back on the crusade, Hitomi was still getting over the haunted house exprience. Van took a seat beside her.  
  
"Well, at least we're out." He said.  
"And what a fortunate accident it was." Folken commented from a far. The crewmen prepared to leave for Palas, once again and they weren't any closer to finding the two missing girls than before.  
  
  
***  
  
At the moment, I'm wondering if this second story wasn't more for the Escaflowne fans. Most of this has to do with Hitomi, there's nothing truly significant going on with the Sailor Senshi at the moment. In fact I could have written this story without them. And yet, at the same time, because I made it a crossover the Sailor Senshi (Moon and Mercury) are playing a crucial role in this fic, even though they're not seeing much action. I ponder these things way too much and I don't often arrive at a point.  
  
Well, School's starting all too soon, just one more day of summer for me. Well, hope all who's readin' still enjoyed this shorter chapter. Ja 'til later!  
  
STC 


	10. Vlad the Impaler

ETERNITY BREAKS II  
  
AN: It's about time chapter 10 is up! I've been busy with the norm. School, volunteering, more school, drivers test coming up (panic mode), etc. Well, I finally found some time to type this up! Thanks for supporting this really strange story. Just so ye know, the end is near to come. I think in the next chapter or so, but I'm still trying to decide on an ending.  
  
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is property of Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation (currently, Kodansha has no rights to BSSM), and Escaflowne is property of Shoji Kawamori (he's the guy behind Escaflowne, I'm surprised many fans do not know who he is) and Sunrise.  
  
***  
  
Chapter Ten: Vlad the Impaler  
  
Two days had passed, and already they felt hopeless. Ultra Bob had won, they could do nothing but wait for him to make his move, and it would be perhaps the final one.  
  
That evening at dinner, Hitomi didn't come down. She refused, and everyone seemed to understand, but King Aston. He just refused Hitomi's refusal. It was simply awful, Allen and Van tried to stop him, but he had already sent guards up to her room to drag her down.  
  
"Well?" Hitomi asked, before the King.  
  
"How dare you refuse to come down to dinner!" He shouted.  
  
She just stood there, surrounded by guards on all sides, with Van and the others at the back of the great hall.  
  
"Shouldn't dinner be the least of your worries?" A voice of unknown origin sounded.  
  
"Oh no, Bob!" Hitomi said.  
  
"At least someone's paying attention." Ultra Bob said, appearing between Hitomi and the King. The great beast stood as tall as he ever did before. Massive in all, his claws would have taken at least ten men. "It seems these were left behind." He gestured to the ceiling, suddenly dropping the two Sailor Senshi on top of poor Hitomi.  
  
"What are you?" Aston asked, frightened by the creature.  
  
"Why do people bother asking that? I'm a monster! Grrrr!" Suddenly, all the guards around, including the King disappeared.  
  
"Nice to know they're there to back us up anytime!" Usagi sounded sarcastic as she picked herself off Ami and Hitomi.  
  
"Oh yes, very nice." Ami added in the same sarcastic tone.  
  
"Would you two bloody get off!" Hitomi sounded slightly muffled between them.  
  
"Ha, now we finish this." Rubeus appeared.  
  
Van rushed to Hitomi's side and helped her up. Folken and the others followed.  
"Yeah well, we can . . . !" Usagi trailed off.  
  
"Die?" Rubeus added.  
  
"Yeah! That too, but it's not what I wanted to say." Usagi looked flustered. What she was really trying to say was that she was a criminal mastermind and that she was late for supper. However, it's not important to the story.  
  
"Say, before I devour your power, Hitomi, can you tell me if this is the final chapter of the story?" Ultra Bob asked. Van and Allen got into a defensive position.  
  
Hitomi rubbed her forehead. "Don't know, don't care..." she replied.  
  
Bob stood there for a moment, "Well, no time like the present, I should like to kill you now!" He charged forth, throwing the young King and Knight to the side, pinning the girl down.  
  
No sooner had he done so, than he was suddenly knocked off to the side with a foreign object. He looked up to see that Mizuno girl with a chair grasped firmly in her hands. The blond girl helped Hitomi up.  
  
"How dare you?!" He cursed.  
  
"My, my, my. This is a field day for the 'how dare you' question." Rubeus commented from above.  
  
"What are you doing up there?!" He snarled, "Get down here and finish them off."  
  
"With pleasure." Rubeus charged at them, forming energy in his hands.  
  
"Heads up!" Someone shouted across the room. Rubeus and Ultra Bob looked up. They were suddenly beat on their heads by yet another foreign object. Hitomi had thrown a couple of vases at them. It seemed to subdue them for a moment or so, but for only so long, when Allen attacked. He ran his sword through Rubeus, a nasty sort of way. Cutting from where his right lung was down through. He yelled, screamed, and turned to dust.  
  
  
  
  
On Earth -  
  
As another wave of monsters came at the tired Senshi, they prepared for what was likely the final battle. When they were just upon them the creatures disappeared. Minako's eyes widened. Makoto fainted. The rest let out a cry of pure and untamable rapture.  
  
"We live!" Minako finally shouted.  
  
  
CNN guy comments. "And there you have it folks, "we live" from a crazy blond girl in a really short skirt."  
  
  
  
Back on Gaea -  
  
  
"He may be dead, but I'm still here!" Ultra Bob yelled.  
  
"And still vulnerable." Hitomi added.  
  
"Only until I have you!" He charged again at Hitomi. Something blocked him, stopping him dead in his tracks. It was Sailor Moon!  
  
"I think this is the end, Bob!" Sailor Moon shouted.  
  
"But how?" He cowered away from her.  
  
She shrugged. "I don't know, plot hole?"  
  
"Oh..."  
  
"This is the end, Bob!" Sailor Mercury shouted.  
  
"The end of me or the end of the story?"  
  
"Both." They answered in unison.  
  
"You'll never take me!" He cried in desperation.  
  
The two Senshi stared at one another, and then looked back at Bob. "You're out of power already?" Sailor Moon asked.  
  
"No! I just said that so you'd let your guard down." He conjured a magical stream that flowed on the red carpet, it caught Sailor Moon and Mercury and pulled them down in it.  
  
"Help! I'm stuck!" The two Senshi shouted.  
  
"I'll save you!" Folken rushed towards the two floundering Senshi. They were really stuck! He tried his best to pull Ami, first, without trying to hurt her and then Usagi. They wouldn't budge. Millerna, Van, and the others had gone to help Folken.  
  
"I think you'll all die now for causing me such great grief." He prepared the final attack. Then the towering form fell to the ground with a great thud.  
  
"A ghost!" Van and Folken shouted.  
  
"Hello again." The ghost said.  
  
"Wait, was he the guy that scared you so much that you dropped your torch that burned the house down?" Hitomi asked.  
  
"Yes, I was, sadly." He floated over to the Senshi and helped them up effortlessly.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Van asked, hiding behind Hitomi.  
  
"I came to apologize for frightening you away like that."   
  
"Question. Why kill knock him out?" Hitomi pointed to the large sleeping Bob.  
  
"It was simply convenient." He answered. "I do grow just ever so lonely, I wish I had a friend."  
  
That last line chilled everyone to the bone.   
  
"Ok, Casper, you're just kind of scaring me now." Usagi tried to back away furiously, but only found she could go so far before being blocked off by an invisible wall.  
  
"I'm afraid that's as far as any of you will get. You see, Ultra Bob there was just a puppet in my little scheme. Do forgive him, but the whole dreaded idea of revenge was the best way to get you all in this room." The ghost explained.  
  
"Do I know evil or what?" Van whispered.  
  
"Silence!" He shouted. "You must understand, I hate being a ghost so very much that I must get a life. One of yours." He answered coldly.  
  
"Well, before you get us, may we know your name?" Millerna asked.  
  
"Why, of course and how rude of me. I'm known as Vlad." The ghost pored himself a glass of wine that was sitting on the King's table side. He sat upon the thrown looking at his boxed in victims.  
  
"So, Vlad why get us all here if you only need one?" Folken asked.  
  
"Simply enough, I need a strong life force. I have scoured the Earth and most of Gaea looking for that impenetrable life force." He answered, seemingly sipping his wine. "How wondrous it shall be to finally be able to taste again." He stared down at the Princess. "Such a charming creature," he commented and pulled Millerna towards him. "You will make a fine wife."  
  
"What?!" Seemed like the most popular question of the day. Millerna was left speechless and stupefied.   
  
"Wh-what do you mean about searching all over Earth?" Hitomi questioned.  
  
"Oh, have you not paid attention to your history class, young one?"  
  
Hitomi remained silent.  
  
"I was born on Earth, the Mystic Moon. I am the original Prince of Darkness, the original Dracula." His pale lips curled into a very frightening smile, a smile worn only by those with very wicked intentions.  
  
"Who are you exactly!?" Sailor Moon shouted.  
  
"Well, SAILOR MOON," he said her name, her title, with such profound disgust, "I was and am known as Vlad the Impaler."  
  
"Oh, great he's going to impale us with stakes." Hitomi said bitterly, as if expecting nothing else to happen.  
  
"No, no. I have a newer preferred method of killing my one and only victim tonight, Hitomi." He flew down to the frightened crowd carrying the princess with him. "I will merely snatch the beating heart of my chosen victim," he spat in icy breath upon Hitomi, "and squeeze it to a standstill. The occupant of that lively heart will suffer until their final breath, and yet it will be so much quicker than death." He finished, his voice barely audible.  
  
"You can't do this, I won't let you!" Usagi bravely shouted.  
  
"Perhaps I'll just kill you all, you can keep each other company in the afterlife. This fine lady beside me will the only one exempt from this, as she will become my wife!"  
  
  
The hour grew late, and the final strands of hope faded with the waning light of the Sun.  
  
***  
  
A chilling end to Chapter Ten. I bid you all a fond welcome to Chapter Eleven, as the story takes a more frightening turn as the author indulges into myth, fact, and all those frightening things that make your blood run cold (not that I'll be very good at it, but I must try.) Chapter Eleven will be written with the up most seriousness as I attempt to invoke terror. As it is popular with most Esca style stories, the next chapter will be filled with "BLOOD, DEATH, DESTRUCTION!" And the Sailors will attempt to save themselves and the others around them from such a horrible fate.  
  
STC 


	11. Haec Dies

ETERNITY BREAKS II  
  
AN: I'm back! School pretty much took up a good deal of my free time. I was hoping to get this up before Halloween. I couldn't even get it up on Halloween, considering I was working that night. Well, I hope everyone else had a wonderful Halloween!  
  
I was originally thinking of ending the story with one of those sappy, not-a-real-ending type ending in the last chapter, then I watched the Travel Channel! The one thing I really didn't want to do with the sequel was end it so the original ended up being the better, more interesting story. Making this, the sequel, a waste of my time and the readers. I believe what makes a sequel even worth doing is when it can either match or surpass the original (too bad Disney never really put a lot of thought into theirs.) Oh yes, I almost forgot about Vlad, he ruled in Romania for about 6 years and was a really mean guy. More of his background in this chapter.  
  
To add one last thing, this is a slight song fic. What I mean by that is that none of the music is in our vernacular. It is a Gregorian chant (part of one) that has no known author. If you've heard the Gregorian chant "Escaflowne" then keep it's monophonic texture in mind when you read the lyrics and that should give you and idea of how it sounds. The text is in Latin and a translation will be provided as an after thought when I write my usual closing and talk about what might happen next. Yeah!  
  
Disclaimer: As mentioned in the previous chapters, I own NOTHING!  
  
***  
  
Chapter Eleven: Haec Dies (This is the day)  
  
  
Sitting upon the throne with Millerna at his side, he began to look over to find who he would test first. A strong life force meant he would live a hundred years more, he had to choose carefully. If he chose wrong he would be banished from the living world ever more.   
  
"That's it!" He called from the throne. The floor seemed to give way, but really it was as if they all seemed to melt together. For a brief instant they were in the tower. Such an awful place it was! It was as dark as it was outside, and cold. The many devices used to inflict pain enough to make the strongest man cry were shrouded dimly in the dark patches, the smell of blood lingering from when they were last used.  
  
"Why-where are we?" Usagi asked.  
  
"Isn't that obvious enough?" Vlad smirked. "It's a torture chamber. I shall test all thy lives' strength, whoever survives the test will be the one I shall consume."  
  
Ami thought for a moment of the harsh punishment that await them all. How would they escape? You can't kill a ghost. "Why not just pick randomly, Wal-Mart shopper?"  
  
Vlad cringed at the remark of Wal-Mart shopper. It's not like he had low, low prices everywhere he went. He had been wandering the Earth since his dimise after his six year rule in Romania. Then that awful man, Bram Stoker had the gull to write a horrible fiction about his reign and entitle it Dracula, as if he were a real monster.  
  
"If I pick the wrong life," he spat fiercely, "I will vanish from this plane for all eternity." His ghostly figure sighed, "If I pick the right life I shall live 100 years, without aging for fifty of those years, and I shall still have the chance to come back."  
  
It hit them all; especially Sailor Moon. One of them, the weakest one would have to attempt to prove to Vlad that they held the strongest life force within them. It would be a sacrifice that someone would have to make for the better future for everyone. Vlad was insane, although dead. Should he come back to life the people of Asturia, perhaps the rest of Gaea, or even Earth could fall into dark times with him alive.  
  
Ami knew she was never really very strong. She would give her life to make sure everyone else could live. It was also her duty as a Senshi to protect her princess.  
  
Sailor Moon would attempt the same, to protect everyone with her life. If she only realized her vitality was much stronger than anyone else's. The strongest in the room, the one that would allow him to live for a change of pace, despite her intentions.  
  
"Before you begin," Usagi announced, as if she knew they had one chance to defeat him, "allow us to say good-bye to each other before you torture us all to our deaths."  
  
Vlad paused for a moment. He never let anyone have a small chance to reconcile with one another before dealing out punishment. He would rather delight in the pain he could create, physical and mental. However, since he would eventually have all that could ever want why not let them say their good-byes? "You have five minutes."  
  
They got together in a sort of huddle and whispered.  
  
"I know how to take him out, unfortunately that means one of us will have to die." Ami told them solemnly.  
  
Hitomi nodded, she had fragments of death appear in her dreams, that she merely assumed were dreams. Then she remembered the vision of Ami's death she had so long ago. Ami would sacrifice herself to save them all.  
  
/Haec dies, quam fecit Dominus.../  
  
  
"Time is up!" The voice echoed through the dark tower.   
  
"It can not be!" Usagi cried.  
  
Vlad smirked, "O, but it is. Commens now!" His ghostly figure grabbed Usagi's clothes to put her in cuffs. Shackled securely he drew out a whip.  
  
"Stop this!" Van cried.  
  
/exsultemus et laetemur in ea./  
  
"She isn't the one you want. I am." Mercury added.  
  
Vlad paused again. Considering this he thought it would be a trap. The real one wouldn't give themselves up so easily.  
  
"How dare you mock me!" He accusingly spat. "I wasn't born yesterday. You're trying to fool me. To make me think the weakest is the strongest! I did not come all this way to be thought of as a fool!" At these words the room grew icy cold. Everyone shivered and tried to keep warm.  
  
/Cibfutemini Domino . . ./  
  
"You really proved us.." Ami said through chattering teeth.  
  
"Well," Hitomi began, "our plan failed. However, you still have the wrong person. Wouldn't it be better to secure your mortality first before you pick us off one by one?"  
  
"Hitomi," Van sounded quite concerned at this turn of events, " what are you doing?!" He whispered harshly.  
  
"Relax, Van." She whispered gently to him.  
  
"You have a plan then?" He inquired.  
  
"Not really, I'm making this up as I go."  
  
"That's encouraging..." Van muttered.  
  
/quoniam bonus: quoniam in saeculum misericordia ejus . . ./  
  
"Vlad," Hitomi began. "You don't have to do this."  
  
"Oh, suddenly I'm going to be lectured." He taunted.  
  
"Your dead and I'm not! There's nothing you can do to stop me from sending you to the other side!" Hitomi said quickly, but sternly.  
  
Ami then whispered to Van, "Can she really do that?"  
  
Van whispered in a low, frightened tone, "I don't know."  
  
"What do you mean?!" Vlad looked pale, even for a ghost.  
  
"I mean, haven't you always wondered about the power of the Girl From the Mystic Moon?" She asked.  
  
Vlad didn't answer.  
  
"You may have thought you had it all figured out, but truth is, you don't."  
  
"Why would you do it? Have you no compassion?" The ghost seemingly accused.  
  
His words somehow stung Hitomi. "What do you mean?"  
  
"I have suffered greatly through life and the after life. Don't you think I deserve another chance?"  
  
"You want to hurt others in your new life! You can't justify the means because of a few bad experiences. Experiences that you've most likely brought upon yourself!" If there was ever a time to see Hitomi angry, this would be a grand time to start a tape recorder. Never had even Van heard her this angry before.  
  
"How dare you!" He roared. "You were not the one subject to see torture of meager peasants during your child hood! The blood and screams! Such inhumane conditions that I grew to like was not my choice!"  
  
"You have one now!" Hitomi argued.  
  
It was all true. All this was set up to give him another chance to live. He made the choice to do so. It no longer mattered. All those people he killed on the stakes. The ones he enjoyed to see in such pain for so long - was the fruits of his labor, not the man who made him watch the torture method at the tender age of six. The man that was his father. Could he have escaped that?  
  
"You don't have to do this. You can move on. Leave us all in peace." Hitomi said.  
  
Words were indeed a powerful weapon. This girl. . . Was this her power? He felt weak and frightened for the first time in so very long. His need to stay was ripped from him. In a blaze of light he disappeared. The tower faded and they were back in the dining room.  
  
"The nightmare is over." Van said.  
  
"It is." Folken agreed.  
  
"How did you make him disappear like that?" Usagi asked.  
  
"I don't know. I was hoping he would decide to leave after all I said." Hitomi explained.  
  
"Did you prepare a rebuttal?" Ami asked.  
  
"Yes. I was kind of hoping he would have stuck around a little while longer to debate, it was kind of fun."  
  
"Oh God, you're going to be a politician." Usagi commented dryly. Her comment earned a laugh from everyone around.  
  
  
***  
  
Woo! It's over! The chapter is, but the story has yet to be finished. I tie things up in the next and final chapter, and as promised, in the order the lines appear in, a translation to the Latin text.  
  
This is the day  
which the Lord hath made;  
we will rejoice and be glad of it.  
  
O give thanks to the Lord,  
for He is good:  
for His mercy endureth forever.  
  
*Gregorian chants are of sacred music. The term Gregorian was derived from Pope Gregory who was the first to write down the sum 3000 chants. Before then they were known as plain song or plain chant. One line sung in a capella. Over time the chants became complex adding two or more melody lines in organum. This same information can be found in "The Enjoyment of Music." 


	12. Epilogue

ETERNITY BREAKS II  
  
AN: Well, it took me long enough, here's the epilogue. Hope there is no  
  
dissatisfaction with this. I really couldn't think of a better way to end it.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne or Sailor Moon  
  
***  
  
Epilogue  
  
It's finally over! That's all that could be said. Sailor Moon barely had to lift a finger, but she did wonder if the hospital had caught on to her helping Ami and Hitomi escape.  
  
They spent their last few days in celebration. Usagi could then see the fondness that Folken and Ami had for one another as well as with Hitomi and Van. Home was where the heart is and where Usagi would have to return. She felt that Ami and Hitomi could stay, if they wished. Sailor Pluto would be back for them shortly and Usagi was already thinking that she would leave by herself.  
  
"I'm going to miss this place." Ami said when they were saying their goodbyes.  
  
"Ami, you can stay if you want." Usagi told her.  
  
"I can't. My duty as a Senshi is to protect the Princess. I can't do that if I'm here and you're there."  
  
"Wouldn't you be truly happy here?" Usagi asked again.  
  
Ami thought about it for a moment. She really did like this place and Folken had found his way into her heart, but there were certain commitments she made before that she was not willing to break.  
  
"Say hello to Earth for me." Hitomi said.  
  
"Will do, comrade Kanzaki!" Usagi posed as if she was working with the Russian guard.  
  
"That's enough of that." Ami forced Usagi's arm to her side from her forehead.  
  
"Uh huh..." Hitomi said looking around with unease. She had elected to stay and in the end Ami elected to go.  
  
"I'll miss your company." Folken told her.  
  
"We'll be back for visits, I suppose." Ami said. Sailor Pluto was not going to be making weekly trips to and from a Gaea when she had that bloody door to guard.  
  
The two Senshi departed for Earth and the Girl from the Mystic Moon had stayed where she belonged best, perhaps. The future is not yet writen and who can say for sure how their lives will end up. What is certain is that 30th centruy Crystal Tokyo would come and Usagi would be there. Where Ami would be is another story entirely, or so Pluto had put it.  
  
Thus this is where the two stories, The Vision of Escaflowne and Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon, depart. I hope you all enjoyed my messed up little crossover, for now it is finished.  
  
**I know, it's not a great ending, but I couldn't think of a better way to end it. Well, with all that is said and done the ending of this could very well lead into a EB III. However, it really depends on whether or not people really want to see it. I've started a couple of draft ideas for it, but Kingdom Escaflowne has been taking up all my fanfic writing time.  
  
Well, my two wonderful reviewers, you have been much appreciated. Thanks for sticking with me through out this insane project! 


End file.
